Hi everyone thinking about taking MICR 4600 Immunology with Porter! I wanted to give you a breakdown for the class format and explain how it functions. I just finished Immunology with Porter (was one of my CLS pre-reqs) and this class is no joke. It was one of the hardest classes I have ever taken and I already have my degree in Microbiology. Please be ready for being tested comprehensively on the information you learn. Not only is there lots of content to learn, but Porter will design ways to test your understanding of how to apply the info you learned in lecture.
Grade breakdown - lab and lecture are graded together. There is a total of 1000 points you can earn from each. You need to do well in both to get a good grade:
Lecture Component (600 points total):

• Reflective Essays (20 points)
  • Easyish essay on what you expect from the class at the beginning and then again after the final (2 essays).
• Active Learning (50 points)
  • Randomly during class, there will be a ~2pt assignment just explaining the lecture content you learned. Acts as an attendance checker
  • This isn't tested on if you get it correct its graded by participation and if you get it wrong she just comments the right answer.
• Case Studies (100 points)
  • Five team-based case studies: 10 points each
    • Every other week you get a group assignment. Using information you learned in lecture, you need to assess a medical issue. You must explain the immunological causes, key information why you diagnosed what you did, what diagnostic tests you should run to assess the diagnosis, and some questions that may be applicable for the case.
  • Final team-based case study: 50 points
    • Same as above but this one is presented to the class (powerpoint + 1 question from Porter)
• Seminar Synopsis and Research Question (30 points)
  • You will get two guest lectures during this class. You will need to write a paper on the research/information being presented during one of these lectures.
• Weekly Post-Lecture Quizzes (150 points)
  • Fifteen quizzes: 10 points each
    • These quizzes are really challenging! You get two chances and your grade will be the average of the two. Study the lecture before taking the quiz.
• Midterm Exam (100 points)
  • Free response with a few multiple choice questions
    • About 5 pages of free response
• Final Comprehensive Examination (150 points)
  • Similar to midterm setup.
    • About 11 pages of free response (comprehensive with emphasis on lectures after midterm) plus 20 multiple choice.
• Midterm and Final have an essay portion due the night before the test. You need to find a regular news article(NYT/BBC/etc not actual science or research journals) where you describe news on information from the lessons in class. Should be an easy 10 points for each.)

Laboratory Component (400 points total) ~with Dr. Tapia:

• Weekly Pre-Lab Quizzes (60 points)
  • Twelve quizzes: 5 points each
    • Easy just read manual and due early morning before lab section
• Safety Quiz (10 points)
• Quizzes 1 and 2 (80 points)
  • Two quizzes: 40 points each
    • Open lab notebook. As long as you keep your notebook updated, you'll be okay but be sure you have all the reagents whole names written down.
• Graphs (30 points)
  • Three graphs: 10 points each
    • Will be on lab data given by the professor. Make sure you include all the information required on the assignment or points might be deducted.
• Lab Notebook (50 points)
  • Needs to have images or drawings of experiment if noted in manual.
• Poster Session (50 points)
  • Poster: 30 points (team)
    • Team makes poster but each individual is required to present during a poster session.
  • Poster presentation: 10 points (individual)
  • Poster evaluations: 10 points (individual)
• Final Comprehensive Laboratory Examination (120 points)
  • You get a cheat sheet for this.

General Policies:

• Attendance for both lectures and labs is mandatory.
• No make-up exams or late assignments are accepted unless justified (e.g., doctor's note). She's pretty strict with exceptions without doctor note.
• Participation in lecture will help you accumulate extra credit for your final grade so participate often and go to office hours!!

Feel free to ask any questions below. Happy to answer :)

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Developing a new technique to regenerate the hair cells of the inner ear requires integrating several innovative approaches and leveraging recent advances in biotechnology. Here’s a detailed proposal for an integrated technique that could work:

🌟 Integrated Hair Cell Regeneration Technique (IHCRT)

1. Selection and Preparation of Stem Cells

• Use of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs): Collect somatic cells (e.g., skin fibroblasts) from the patient to generate iPSCs.
• Directed Differentiation: Guide iPSCs toward a hair cell lineage using a specific cocktail of growth and signaling factors.

2. Genomic Modification with CRISPR-Cas9

• Precise Genomic Editing: Use CRISPR-Cas9 to insert regeneration-promoting genes, such as Atoh1, into differentiated cells.
• Gene Regulation: Introduce regulatory systems to activate or repress target genes in a controlled manner (e.g., using doxycycline-inducible systems).

3. Bioengineering and Biomimetic Scaffolds

• Biomimetic Scaffolds: Design biodegradable polymer scaffolds that mimic the extracellular matrix of the inner ear to support hair cell growth.
• Integration of Growth Factors: Impregnate scaffolds with growth factors (such as BDNF and NT-3) to promote the survival and maturation of hair cells.

4. Nano-Delivery System

• Functionalized Nanoparticles: Use nanoparticles to deliver genes, growth factors, and other necessary compounds directly to the inner ear cells.
• Encapsulation and Controlled Release: Nanoparticles encapsulate therapeutic materials and release them in a controlled manner within the inner ear for maximum efficacy.

5. Implantation and Integration

• Minimally Invasive Microsurgery: Use microsurgical techniques to implant scaffolds and genetically modified cells into the cochlea.
• Monitoring and Tracking: Implement biological sensors to monitor the progress of integration and hair cell regeneration in real-time.

💡 Implementation Steps

Step 1: Preparation of iPSCs

1. Harvesting Somatic Cells: Collect skin cells from the patient.
2. Reprogramming into iPSCs: Use reprogramming factors (like OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, c-MYC) to generate iPSCs.

Step 2: Differentiation and Genomic Editing

1. Differentiation of iPSCs: Apply a cocktail of growth factors to direct iPSCs to differentiate into hair cell lineage.
2. CRISPR-Cas9: Use CRISPR-Cas9 to insert Atoh1 and other regeneration-promoting genes.

Step 3: Bioengineering Scaffolds

1. Designing Scaffolds: Create biodegradable polymer scaffolds.
2. Integrating Growth Factors: Impregnate scaffolds with BDNF, NT-3, and other necessary growth factors.

Step 4: Nano-Targeted Delivery System

1. Nanoparticles: Develop nanoparticles to encapsulate and deliver therapeutic materials.
2. Controlled Release: Adjust nanoparticle properties for controlled, targeted release.

Step 5: Implantation and Monitoring

1. Surgical Implantation: Use microsurgery to implant scaffolds and cells into the cochlea.
2. Monitoring: Use biological sensors to monitor hair cell regeneration and integration in real-time.

🚀 Advantages of IHCRT

1. Personalization: Using the patient’s own cells to avoid immune rejection.
2. Efficacy: Combining multiple advanced technologies to maximize hair cell regeneration.
3. Safety: Minimizing risks through targeted and controlled approaches.

Conclusion

The IHCRT proposes an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to regenerate hair cells in the inner ear. By combining stem cell biology, genomic editing, bioengineering, and nanotechnology delivery systems, this technique could offer a promising solution for treating hearing loss due to hair cell degeneration. Rigorous research and clinical trials will be essential to validate and refine this approach before it can be widely applied in clinical practice.

Interview:
I arrived early. We were measured for height. We had a Skywest info session then one on one interviews. I got my CJO about 48 hours after my interview. There's a ton of posts on different peoples experience. My experience was about 2 hours and the interview itself was very short.

Timeline:

• Applied 1 week before in person interview. In person interview mid-January for training mid-April. Offer within 48 hours.
• Access to the Skywest website with employee ID 1 month before training with 3 weeks to complete certain tasks (drug testing, finger printing).
• 2 weeks before training - travel details and information for the test on the first day. 1 week beforehand - information on the hotel and flight to SLC.
• Right now, IOE's are taking place about 3 weeks after training in SLC ends. You don’t get your domicile (or bid) under after ground training as of right now.

You get a schedule of bus pickup times and every day’s agenda. This information won't really change so early on you know when to expect tests, drills, powerpoints, long days, days off.

Training:
Is it hard? No. Training isn't hard if you read and understand what's expected of you beforehand. Go into training with an open mind. You might have a dozen best friends, you might not. You might be the only person from your state. Your best friend might be your grandma's age. You might be the only man.
Did people get kicked out? About 20% of my class did (we started with 52 people and ended with 40).
Why? They slept late (you cannot miss even 1 minute of class that’s mandated by the FAA). They failed tests (you get 2 chances to pass a multiple choice test and 3 chances on drills). They violated dress code more than once. People got LOI’s (letters of instruction – write ups) for tattoos, dress code, forgetting required items, talking back/arguing, language, and not being in their seat at the start of class.
What should I do to succeed? Take care of yourself, don't drink excessively, don't stay up late, abide by curfew, follow the dress code exactly, and believe in yourself.
Are the tests hard? Not at all, there's tons of resources to help you study. Lots of people would get 100% and most everyone would get 80% or above (passing). Usually 1-3 people would fail a test and then pass the re-test. Towards the end, no one failed a test including the cumulative.
Are drills hard? They're even easier than the test, you get workshop time, practices, and 3 chances to pass.
What are the instructors like? Most of them are actually really nice. Some of them do give out LOI's and some don't. Even the ones who give LOI's are nice people. It’s their job to prepare us for the line and when you’re on the line, you can’t violate dress code. You can’t be late on probation. When we would talk about instructors, most of what we said was positive. I liked all of them.

What time do you wake up? Every day is different. The earliest days were 5 am and some days weren't till 10:30 am. When we split into pods (groups of about 10) some of the groups start after 2 pm but then you're at the hangar past 10 pm. A is the early pod, D is the late pod, B/C are afternoon or early/late respectively. You get your pod the day you arrive. That’s also the seniority order.

Was there drama? No. My class had essentially no drama and yours can too. Be positive and kind towards everyone. Everyone can pass training so there’s nothing to be gained by bringing other people down and my whole class knew that.

What's the dress code? Plain black or white tops with black dress pants or a skirt/dress. Black leather shoes. Everything could be called "conservative". I wore black tops with black dress pants and leather mary janes. I had 3 of the same tops/2 of the same pants. For tops, look for turtlenecks, button ups, or a plain high scoop neck. If you wear a skirt or dress it must cover your knees when you walk and you need to wear tights. They have an Amazon page for you to look at and a full dress code with pictures.

Is the classroom cold? Yes. The breakroom is even colder. Bring layers.

Hotel:
What hotel did you stay at? We can't tell anyone for safety reasons. Only one class per hotel at a time. You'll probably be at an airport hotel. You won't be in downtown SLC. You probably won’t have a lot of amenities to walk to, just other hotels.
What did the hotel have? Mine had a microwave and minifridge. I had a kingsize bed, a couch, a desk, and a TV. Internet was not great. I used my hotspot a lot.

What did you do for food? I had a hot plate ($15 on Amazon, worked amazing). I made ramen, pasta, eggs, vegetables/dip, cheese plates, bagged salads. Some people got groceries delivered. I took ubers with other people into town three times to get groceries.
A lot of people ordered food every single day. The hallway was full of pizza boxes, Red Lobster, Chinese, Chipotle. That's fine too. If you're gonna do that, sign up for rewards or try and split delivery with a classmate.
The Hangar has a great snack bar. It's really well priced and has chips, candy, drinks, ice cream bars, muffins, sandwiches, cereal, meal boxes. I ate a lot of snacks.

Money:
How much money should I have saved? For training, expect to spend about $500 on clothes, required items, food, ubers. Then consider your expenses at home. Phone bill? Rent? Netflix sub? Credit card bill?
Then consider future expenses. Moving, breaking a lease, starting a lease with a new security deposit, a crash pad, ubers, luggage, additional uniform pieces. I would have a couple thousand saved and ready to be spent ($5k if you demand a number, thats the minimum I would have, but your money is your journey).
How much do you get paid in training? You get paid 2.13 flight hours a day twice a month. I will also mention that Skywest gives you about $450 worth of uniform pieces including two sets of clothes, a winter coat, a layering piece and ties/scarves.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. The only things I won't share are specific interview questions, confidential information learned in training, and specific test questions.

Hi lovelies!
Today, I have prepared 'a little tour guide' to help you on your journey through New York, or what's left of it. I will try and describe in detail what's where and how to get through each one of the four chapters. Big thank you to u/ZekeFearMe and u/h3c4t32 for their contribution!
\please note that documents only appear during Challenge Mode! Their location is random every time, so make sure to check your surroundings thoroughly.*
\please note that breaching charges are scattered randomly throughout the level. Their location will also vary depending on difficulty.*
\I'm also putting a* spoiler tag on this - in case you're completely new to the game and would like to play it first without ruining the fun - stop reading here! ₍ᐢ•ﻌ•ᐢ₎
Without further ado, let's dive in!
\"Alright, let's go.\" Tashaun Burnell
Chapter 1: Descent
This should be your first mission to play, as it introduces you to the game, shows you how different scenarios work and what triggers them. Consider this a tutorial of a sort.
First things first, let's get you off that damned roof! After getting rid of the barricade and heading downstairs, you will enter a vestibule leading to a long hallway to your right and a smaller room behind a closed door to your left (sometimes there are zombies and/or Lurker just around the corner behind the door, and a collectible document has a chance to spawn on one of the tables). Switching to your silenced pistol would be a smart decision, unless you want to alert nearby zombies and fight off a swarm very early (you can also try and melee shamblers, just be aware that Lurkers may spawn in three different spots here - in a small corridor visible from the vestibule, in an office to your right once you enter the hallway, and around the corner before you enter the small dining hall). Check the small office and shoot any zombies that are around (notice the photocopier here, sometimes a collectible document has a chance to spawn on top of it).
After you reach the end of the hallway, you can either enter the small dining hall or continue to your left, through another small hallway and up the steps. The dining hall only has two points of interest: an empty pizza box (a collectible document has a chance to spawn in it), and sometimes there is a crate behind the cooking station. Careful when you pass by that small office to your left, Lurker is hiding inside. You can see him/dispose of him through the dining hall door, shooting him through broken glass (once the threat is eliminated, check the shelves with folders, there is a chance that a collectible document spawns here).
You will now enter a large open area leading to the lifts. To the left there's another office (and yet another Lurker waiting to pounce on you as soon as you poke your head in the door, there is also a chance that a collectible document spawns on the red sofa to your left), to your right is small storage room (a Lurker is sometimes waiting inside) and a brightly lit corridor (sometimes there is a medical item on one of the sofas, also Virus Sample at dead soldier's body). Continue down to the reception where the lift is - be careful, there are two possible Lurker spawns, behind the reception desk on either side. Once you press the lift button, I suggest to back off a little in case there are still passengers inside the lift car (often there's a Bull).
Exit the lift, and you will find yourself inside a large mall with hordes of zombies roaming in the streets. Taking the path to your left will lead you to a broken display with a mannequin and a dead body next to it (a collectible document has a chance to spawn here). You'll also notice a sofa that's kinda in a way - sometimes there can be a crate or item on it. Continue down the left path, and you'll reach an outlet (NADIAMI). Be careful upon entering, there is a Lurker hiding behind the counter. Make sure to search the store thoroughly (a collectible document has a chance to spawn next to the blue chair in the corner). When you're done rummaging through this floor, head down the escalators. Your first big horde battle awaits! As the grand atrium reveals itself, you will see all the zombies trapped inside. There's quite the few, but don't shoot your guns yet. Notice how there are few standing idle opposite the bridge. Walk over to the other side and search the area first (a collectible document has a chance to spawn on one of the desks in right-hand corner), set up any traps (if you have an Exterminator or Hellraiser on your team, have them put down claymores where escalators are and on both sides of the bridge), as zombies will swarm the area from both ends. Make sure you and your team has the flanks covered, and start blasting. Shoot those big star shaped chandeliers and watch pieces of falling glass slice through Zeke. The horde will quickly pile up and climb, and at the same time more zombies will begin to pour in from the escalators. Make sure to watch out for Specials; Infectors, Bulls, Juggernaut and Gas Bags. There are also two Lurker hotspots, one just behind the column on the left side coming from the bridge, and the other on top of a lift car (you can safely kill this one through the gap in the door before pressing the button).
Once there is only smoke in the air and bullet casings on the floor left, advance towards the lift on the other side (there is a red service light shining through the broken door). Drop to the atrium and notice more guns, equipment bags, heavy guns and defence kits. You guessed it - there is another big horde battle ahead. You will have some time to prepare yourself, so briefly look around (there is a chance that a collectible document will spawn next to the blue duffel bag near an ATM under the escalator, there can also be another Virus Sample, if you head down the escalator leading to the parking garage, next to the body of a soldier), and get to it! If you've read my first guide, Newbies Handbook to Zombie Apocalypse, and remember the passage discussing defence kits, you'll know what to do. But just in case; depending on what defence kits you have around, set up barbed wire all the way in the front, lay down electric grid in the same fashion, auto-turrets should be facing back to provide cover from behind, as zombies will often pour in from all directions. And stationary gun should be facing towards the gate. When you're ready or time's up, zombies will swarm in. First, from the street right in front of you. You can shoot some of the cars and have explosions kill a few. Not long into battle, zombies will start falling from above and coming from behind you - the game loves to pull this trick whenever possible, you will have to get used to it. Expect Bulls, Juggernaut and Infector, often a Gas Bag drops down too. Just watch your six and listen for auto-turrets go off and hissing or roaring of Special Zombies, that's your cue to turn around. Best strategy now is to run up the escalator, and shoot all the zombies that climb up to get you. There are also three spots where Lurkers love to hide, one is behind the sand bags, second is behind glass just a few feet away, and third is on the lift car (this one can often surprise so be careful when you hear him, he's definitely there!).
If you managed to survive, grab any heavy guns that you haven't used (any machineguns, TAIGA-12 heavy shotguns, chainsaw or flamethrower - you don't want to use any missile or grenade launchers for the final stretch - high risk of friendly fire in tight spaces), enter the code into console and head outside. The street is mostly blocked, with only one way to go - down to the subway. Before we descent, let's look around (there is usually a crate by the military truck to the right just upon entering the street, behind the white shipping container next to a body of dead soldier you may find another Virus Sample, and in broken white box behind the bus stop a collectible document has a chance to spawn). In subway, we will be greeted by more zombies, attacking a train, and you will also meet Stevie, its conductor. There will be lots of smaller swarms attacking you, with Lurkers hiding in the shadows - one is right behind the locked gate as you enter the subway, another one is around the corner in the hallway between the two staircases, then another waiting in the train car next to where Stevie is. Some are also hiding in the rooms behind locked metal doors. Your next objective is to collect supply crates - depending on difficulty and number of players, the number of crates will vary. Every time you reach a crate, swarm will come, usually accompanied by Screamer. These can be quickly disposed if there is a player on the roof of one of the train cars. Don't hang around for too long though, as zombies keep swarming in.
Before dropping off last crate, make sure to check the subway station (a collectible document has a chance to spawn behind the trash can on second floor, above Stevie's train). Final stretch can be made easier - you just have to either sprint towards the entrance of the subway all the way back, upon collecting a crate, or - you can unlock the ground floor door on the right by activating a switch through the wall and (this method however requires experienced player with greatsword - because that is the only way to get inside without having to collect crates in there - useful for Insane or Extreme difficulty) shoot incoming swarms through the door. Usually zombies break these, but this particular corridor is zombie proof. You can just wait out and slaughter whatever comes by.
♥
Chapter 2: Tunnel Vision
So the train only got you so far; now you have to help Stevie open up gates in the tunnels to get through. Go through the door on your left and up the stairs (as you reach the boiler room and walk up the steps, notice broken white box - a collectible document has a chance to spawn in it), there will be one stray zombie, and usually a Lurker, just behind the white brick wall leading to a hallway. Another one could be hiding in the room to your left with wide open metal doors (there can also be a Virus Sample on the body of a dead soldier in the corner). If you continue straight, you will reach a small room with a ladder and blue barrels in the corner - there will be a white metal box on the ground - sometimes a breaching charge can be found here. Now head back and through metal bars into storage room. Careful! There is usually a lurker crouched behind the metal shelves, in the middle (if you look around from this exact spot there should be a carboard box next the the metal shelf, behind it a collectible document has a chance to spawn).
You will have to activate two switches here, opening a gate and leading to the next area. Lurkers love to hide behind each row of generators, one in the small room on the right, immediately after entering, there can be one under the stairs on the right hand side (if you check behind the gas canister next to the staircase across the breaching door, a collectible document has a chance to spawn here) and another one is upstairs, in a room on the left - here you may also find a breaching charge, tucked behind a wooden box. You will have to activate three switches here, there is usually one on the catwalk, one on the ground floor and one in the server room - entrance is on the ground floor, just have to climb a few steps. Careful as this area can be full of zombies, and Lurkers - one behind the wall in a small room ahead, one behind the wall with server rack - here could also be a breaching charge, just stuck in between the rack under a screen with green oscilloscope (opposite the server rack on a desk facing the corridor with metal shelves, a collectible document has a chance to spawn).
Once you hit all three switches, gate will open upstairs, leading to the main hub with a control room. If there are any defence kits that are auto-turrets, I recommend picking them up, but don't place them yet - save them for the finale. You'll thank me later. Before you enter the control room, be aware there can be a Lurker behind that metal wall. Activate the control panel, and immediately run back to the door through which you've entered the hub. Stand next to the scaffolding on top of the platform, and just shoot any zombies that pile up on the other side. Second pile, and later whatever falls down from the roof, will have to climb the stairs and a cement bag wall to get to you. You have the high ground, and there is a solid obstacle between you and incoming zombies. This method will give you huge advantage, and you will only have to deal with leftover pile after. Notice the cement mixer as you walk towards the big vent, sometimes the wooden crate that's next to it contains a breaching charge (and before you reach the vent, look inside the flipped wheel cart, a collectible document has a chance to spawn there). You can also breach into the small room under the ventilation shaft.
As you climb over the ledge, sometimes you will startle a Lurker. Press the fan control, and drop down to the next area. There are three Lurker spots; one behind the wall with the pipe just around the corner, one around the bend to the right from the first spot on a broken metal bridge, and around the last bend. There's a yellow forklift, if you check its seat closely, you may find a breaching charge. There will be some weapons and a crate in this area too. Climb the big broken pipe and move carefully into the next area (if you drop down on the right hand side and turn around, you will find a bunch of blue barrels, a collectible document has a chance to spawn there).
Here, you will have to activate three vents on three levels in order to clear out the toxic gas. The first panel is very straightforward - drop down on the left-hand side, switch the first vent on, and make your way down the obstacles (careful, there can be a lurker on either side behind the pillars). For the second panel, you'll need to find a key on one of the bodies - so start looking around (Lurkers like to hide behind the pillars on this level too). There are two entrances on each side, leading to smaller rooms and corridors with dead workers. There can also be a breaching charge behind the last pillar on the left side (next to the staircase). On the left-hand side is a hallway leading to two storage rooms (at the end of the hallway, there are two blue barrels and a wooden crate, a collectible document has a chance to spawn behind it). Enter the storage to the right, and behind the yellow forklift, you may find a breaching charge. On the right hand side is what looks like a generator room, with dead-end corridor (there can be a Virus Sample next to a dead soldier behind wooden crate in the corner) and small boiler room. Once you have the key, return to the panel and clear out the gas on the lower level. The third panel will be a little more difficult; again, you have to search the bodies, except this time they're in the gas on the ground floor (on the same floor as the third panel is, there is a small L shaped hallway to the left, opposite the stairs leading down - a collectible document has a chance to spawn on metal shelves next to a wooden crate - careful, there migh be a Lurker waiting there too). You won't last long in the toxic air, so plan your route to the corpse and back and make your trips as brief as possible. Once you have the key, wait for the ground floor to clear up and head down the stairs (take the stairs down to the left, immediately turn right and find a wooden box tucked by the pillar next to a cage - a collectible document has a chance to spawn in it).
There will be only one way to go, and that's through a corridor with metal door leading to a 'tower' - here you will have to quickly climb flights upon flights of stairs to get to safety (when you drop down and take the path to your left, you will reach a dead soldier - this is the third and last location where a Virus Sample may appear). It's easy to get swarmed and overrun, as Zeke will start to literally pour in from above and open sewer grates on the sides. You may find a breaching charge between the two boxes as you approach the bridge on the upper level. Directly above this spot, there is another place where a breaching charge can be found - on top of a cardboard box in the corner, before you enter the safe room and seal it shut. After the gate closes behind you, another one opens directly in front of you. Sometimes there will be zombies in the next room, so stay focused (there is a chance that a collectible document spawns on the shelf to the left immediately as you enter this room).
Once you leave this area, you will reach a sector 7 catwalk leading to another vent. Climb over the ledge into the vent - be careful, as there might be a Lurker around the corner to your right. If you continue straight ahead, you will reach a pile of boxes and bin bags, there can be a breaching charge there too. Exit through the vent to the right and you will find yourself in a hub again, except now on the other side. There is another control room here and a scaffolding. Remember those auto-turrets from earlier? You should have at least one or two with you, so go and place them on the top of the control room, breach the room next to it, and if there are any more auto-turrets, place them facing the control room doors. Best position to defend here is on the top of the control room (there can also be a breaching charge behind the pile of boxes in the middle) - again, you have the high ground, auto-turrets to cover your back and floor below, and there's a tunnel boring machine control panel (it's position is random though, so it can be on either side, or if you have all the documents for this chapter, there's a chance there will be two panels, one on each side).
Worry only about protecting the train, all the zombies that climb up the sides will have to climb some more to get to you, by which point they'll be long dead. Special Zombies, however, should be swiftly dealt with - they can either fall down from behind you or from one of the vents (this is also where Screamers wail from), and can close distances faster as they are more resilient. Boring machines will turn the Zeke into mincemeat in a matter of seconds, you can mount a .50 cal to thin out the herd a little, and you can use heavy weapons once the swarm reaches the train.
♥
Chapter 3: Hell and High Water
WIP
♥
Chapter 4: Dead In The Water
WIP

Enjoying these daily updates, listen to my podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ai-unraveled-latest-ai-news-trends-gpt-gemini-generative/id1684415169

Sam Altman quashes search engine launch rumors

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, denied rumors of launching a search engine ahead of Google I/O, stating that the upcoming announcement is neither related to GPT-5 nor a search engine. He described the forthcoming revelation as something that "feels like magic."
However, there are reports that OpenAI is developing an AI voice assistant.

iOS 18 iPhones may soon have ChatGPT

OpenAI will bring ChatGPT to iPhones. The integration is expected to happen with the upcoming iOS 18. This could significantly enhance the user experience and expand the capabilities of Apple's virtual assistant, Siri.
Parallel to negotiations with OpenAI, the tech giant is also engaging with Google's parent company, Alphabet, to integrate the Gemini chatbot into Apple's devices. These ongoing talks, however, haven't led to an agreement yet.

SoftBank’s Arm Holdings all set to come up with AI chips in 2025

SoftBank's subsidiary, Arm, plans to develop AI chips and launch them in 2025. Arm is establishing a dedicated AI chip division and targeting a prototype by spring 2025 and mass production by autumn. SoftBank will contribute to the initial cost of 10 trillion yen ($64 billion).
The AI chip business could be spun off to SoftBank. Negotiations with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC) and others for production capacity are underway. The move reflects rising demand for AI chips, which has boosted Arm's share price since its IPO in September.

GPT-4o: 2x faster, 50% cheaper, 5x rate limits than GPT-4 Turbo

OpenAI unveiled its new flagship model, GPT-4o (“o” stands for “omni”). It provides GPT-4-level intelligence but is 2x faster, 50% cheaper, has 5x higher rate limits, and enhanced text, voice, and vision capabilities than GPT-4 Turbo. It also matches GPT-4 Turbo performance on text in English and code, with significant improvements for text in non-English languages.
GPT-4o can respond to audio inputs in as little as 232 ms, with an average of 320 ms, which is similar to human response time in a conversation. It is available in the ChatGPT free tier and to Plus users.

TikTok tests ChatGPT-powered search results

TikTok is testing a new search feature that uses AI to generate results for some queries. For certain search terms, like recipes or product recommendations, TikTok will display AI-generated answers at the top of the results. These answers are powered by ChatGPT, and when you click on one of these AI results, it takes you to a page with a full response.
TikTok is also testing "search highlights," which appear at the top of some searches. However, it's unclear whether these highlights are AI-generated.

Meta explores AI-assisted earphones with built-in cameras

Meta is currently exploring AI-powered earphones with built-in cameras. The project is known internally as “Camerabuds;” however, it’s uncertain if the final product will be in-ear earbuds or over-ear headphones. The cameras let the AI take in surrounding information visually, allowing it to translate foreign languages, identify objects, and more.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly seen several possible designs but has not been satisfied with them. Outside of design, the major hurdle is fitting a camera and batteries in a tiny device like an earbud.

Google announced a wide array of updates across its AI ecosystem

Major headlines were Project Astra, an AI agent that can see and hear users in real time, and AI teammates that can answer questions and organize data within Workspace.
Google also introduced Veo, a high-quality video generation model, and significant updates to Google Search, including expanded AI Overviews, advanced planning capabilities, and AI-organized search results.
The company launched Gemini 1.5 Pro, boasting a massive 2M context window extension, and Imagen 3, the next version of its text-to-image model. Other notable announcements included:

• Gemma 2 updates: New 27-billion-parameter model launching in June
• Google Play: New app discovery feature and developer tools
• Android feature to detect potential scams during calls using Gemini Nano
• Ask Photos: AI-powered search in Google Photos using natural language queries
• Gemini in Gmail for searching, summarizing, and drafting emails
• Gemini 1.5 Pro: Increased input capacity to 2 million tokens
• Gemini Live: In-depth voice chats with Gemini on smartphones
• Gemini Nano: Smallest AI model built into Chrome desktop client
• Gemini on Android: Deep integration with Android OS and Google apps
• Gemini on Google Maps: Generative AI summaries for places and areas
• Tensor Processing Units (TPU): Sixth-generation Trillium chips with 4.7x performance boost
• Project IDX: AI-centric browser-based development environment in open beta
• Circle to Search: AI-powered feature for instant answers using gestures on Android
• Pixel 8a: New smartphone with Tensor G3 chip, starting at $499
• Pixel Slate: Google's Pixel Tablet is now available with or without the base

Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's co-founder and chief scientist, has left the company

Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's co-founder and longtime chief scientist, has left the company. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the news on X, expressing his sadness and gratitude for Sutskever's contributions. Jakub Pachocki, OpenAI's research director, will step up as a chief scientist.
Sutskever's departure comes amidst reports of disagreements with Altman over OpenAI's direction, mainly concerns about rushing AI-powered product launches at the expense of safety. The situation escalated last November when Sutskever and OpenAI CTO Mira Murati approached the company's previous board to express their concerns, leading to a brief attempt to fire Altman. However, Altman was swiftly reinstated, and much of the old board resigned.

Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts

Apple recently unveiled new accessibility features that will launch later this year. One of these features is Eye Tracking, which enables users with physical disabilities to navigate their iPhones and iPads using only their eyes.
By leveraging the front-facing camera and AI, Eye Tracking allows precise control through a “Dwell Control” feature, eliminating the need for additional hardware.
Another noteworthy addition is Music Haptics, designed for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. When enabled, the Taptic Engine in iPhones plays taps, textures, and refined vibrations synchronized with music audio.
Additionally, Apple has introduced Voice Shortcut, which allows users to create custom voice commands for specific actions on their devices. With Voice Shortcut, users can perform tasks hands-free by simply speaking their personalized commands.

Humane’s AI Pin upgraded with GPT-4o

Humane has upgraded its popular AI Pin product with the GPT-4o model. This upgrade aims to enhance the AI Pin’s performance. The new version runs faster, provides more accurate answers, and offers richer information.

Stability AI seeks buyer amid financial woes

Stability AI has been in discussions with at least one potential buyer recently regarding a possible sale. The company is facing a cash crunch, having generated less than $5 million in revenue during the first quarter of 2024 while incurring losses exceeding $30 million. Stability AI also owes nearly $100 million in outstanding bills to cloud computing providers and other entities.
The reported sales talks came after the company laid off some staff as part of a restructuring process following the resignation of founder Emad Mostaque as CEO.

OpenAI is bringing Reddit content to ChatGPT and new products

OpenAI and Reddit have formed a partnership to benefit both the Reddit and OpenAI user communities in a number of ways:

• OpenAI will access Reddit’s Data API, which provides real-time, structured, and unique content from Reddit. This will enable OpenAI’s AI tools to better understand and showcase Reddit content, especially on recent topics.
• The deal will also enable Reddit to bring new AI-powered features to redditors and mods. Reddit will be building on OpenAI’s platform of AI models to bring its powerful vision to life.
• Lastly, OpenAI will become a Reddit advertising partner.

OpenAI introduces improvements to data analysis in ChatGPT

OpenAI is rolling out enhancements to data analysis:

• Upload the latest file versions directly from Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive. This allows ChatGPT to understand your Google Sheets, Docs, Slides, and Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint files more quickly
• Interact with tables and charts in a new expandable view
• Customize and interact with bar, line, pie, and scatter plot charts in the conversation.
• Work on tables in real-time

These improvements will be available in OpenAI’s new flagship model, GPT-4o, for ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Enterprise users over the coming weeks.

GenZ and millennials optimistic about GenAI use at work: Deloitte Survey

Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey connected with more than 22,800 respondents in 44 countries to explore their attitudes about work and the world around them. One of the key findings was that Gen Zs and millennials are feeling uncertain about GenAI and its potential impact on their careers.
However, respondents who frequently use GenAI at work are more likely to say they feel excitement about, and trust in the technology. Frequent users of GenAI are also more likely to believe it will free up their time, improve the way they work, and improve their work/life balance.
But, conversely, the more a respondent uses GenAI the more likely they are to have some concerns as well.

Enjoying these daily updates, listen to my podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ai-unraveled-latest-ai-news-trends-gpt-gemini-generative/id1684415169

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You guys know what an alpine coaster is? They are like a small roller coaster you find in the mountains. They are also called summer toboggans or mountain coasters and I think there’s some long German compound word they are called in parts of Europe. They are like a roller coaster, but with much smaller one or two person sleds you just sit on instead of multi-person cars you ride in, and instead of being built with like a scaffolding or a framework the tracks are just on the ground, using the elevation of the mountain. Basically it’s a coaster track on the side of a mountain where you ride a sled down.
They are pretty fun. Or at least I used to think so. They are more “personal” than roller coasters and although you get nowhere near the speed on them that you do on a good traditional roller coaster and they can’t do corkscrews or loops or anything like that the openness and simplicity of the ride gives an impression of a much greater speed. You’re just sitting there with nothing but a little plastic sled and the track between you and the ground as it goes zooming by. It’s like the difference between how fast a go-cart feels compared to how fast a sports car feels. You know the sports car goes faster but the open, simpleness of a go-cart feels a different kind of fast. There’s plenty of POV Youtube videos if you want to get the basic idea of what they are.
I used to love alpine coasters. Used to.
My family used to go to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and up and down the Smokey Mountains for vacations when I was a kid and they are common in that area and I’d always rode them every chance I got.
But as with so many things after I grew up and went to college they just became part of my childhood that slipped away. They aren’t exactly common once you get away from the mountains.
Until one cool spring afternoon in 2004. I was in my final year at college and I was driving back to campus in Tennessee after a short visit to my folks in North Carolina. It was only like a 4 or 5 hour drive via the most efficient route and I had no need to be back at campus early so instead of taking the freeway all the way I got off and took part of my trip through the mountains. The scenery was nicer and I admit I liked pushing my Camaro just a little faster than I should through the twisty mountain roads.
Just after lunchtime happened upon one of those little by-the-highway tourist towns deep somewhere in the Smoky Mountains near the Carolina/Tennessee border. Nothing fancy, a gas station/truck stop, a diner, a couple of places selling tourist merch nestled deep in the mountains. I pulled into the gas station. My tank was getting low and I needed to stretch my legs, maybe grab something to eat. It was still early and I only had another couple of hours. I could kill an hour or so and still make it back to campus at a decent hour.
I pulled into the gas station and was filling my tank when I happened to glance across the road and… well I’ll be damned. There it was. “The Blue Ridge Alpine Coaster.” Nestled on the side of the mountain was a building, a mockup of a red barn, where a single railed track that led up into the mountains, where it soon got lost in the greenery. Wooden hand painted standees of cartoon character bears dressed in stereotypical “Hillbilly” getup stood around, some of them holding signs showing the ride hours and ticket costs and other info. I had to admit, as silly as it was, it made me smile.I finished pumping my gas and, well, nostalgia is a helluva thing. I decided then and there I could waste a little time riding an Alpine Coaster again after all these years before getting back on the road.
I parked my car in a corner of the truck stop's parking lot, put my phone in the center console, this being the days before smart phones when people didn’t keep their phones with them 24/7 and I didn’t want my old Nokia brick phone to fall out during the ride, locked my car and walked across the mountain highway to the Alpine Coaster building.
Getting closer, the place was less inviting. The half hearted attempt at a whimsical faux-Americana kitsch was far less effective when it brushed up against the actual decaying, run down wooden building. Hell calling it a building was generous. It was a wood frame holding up a long roof that covered the area where you got on the sleds. The wood boards creaked under my footsteps.
The only real enclosed structure was a shack that held, what I assumed, was a ticket booth. A door on the side had both a single occupancy bathroom with an out of order sign on it. An old Pepsi machine buzzed and glowed next to it.
Still the place looked alive. Ahead of me a bored looking attendant was helping a mother and her young son into one of the sleds while in a bored monotone repeating the safety brief. A few people were waiting in line at the ticket booth. Up in the mountains the playful shouts of people on the ride echoed down. Fond memories of my own childhood rides flooded my mind.10 minutes and 15 dollars later I was settling into the hard plastic seat of a bright red sled sat atop a simple aluminum rail.
I couldn’t help but grin as the sled slowly climbed the track up the mountains, making click-clack ratcheting sounds that hit my nostalgia centers hard. I felt good. The air was cool and crisp and smelled of pine.Higher and higher in the mountains we went. I don’t know if this is my mind trying to make sense of it after the fact but when I remember these moments, the last good moments, I sometimes think I remember a very slight, very subtle pit of fear in my stomach. I honestly don’t know if I felt it at the time or not or it’s just how my mind tries to make sense of it looking back at.
But either way mostly I was enjoying myself. I smiled. I was a kid again. I could hear riders in front of me let out that initial yell of terrified glee you get at the first drop of any good ride.
It peaked. I glanced around. I could see for miles, rolling hills and mountains. I the sled tipped over and zoomed down the mountain and I let out the same happy yell I heard from the other passengers.The ride zoomed down the mountain, catching speed. The mountain forest floor zoomed past, only a few feet under me. Trees zoomed past. I gave out a happy whoop as the ride banked hard around a curve and then looped back under itself.Another dip, another curve. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of the G-forces pulling me every which way.
There was no one exact single moment where things started to go “wrong.” The ride kept going. And going. At this point the first creeping thought entered my head.
The ride… was still going.
It just started to hit me… this ride was going on for a really long time. I had taken a dozen rides on various coasters of this type before that day and they topped out at about 5 minutes or so, and that was the long ones. Longer than a traditional roller coaster but not that long. This one had been going on for what felt like 10, maybe even 15 minutes.
I looked back over my shoulder and could only see trees, moving too fast to really get a bearing on where I was at in relation to anything.
I wasn't exactly really worried yet. Okay so I had found a particularly long alpine coaster. At the time I wasn’t 100% wasn't sure they didn’t exist or anything like that. I was a little… unnerved but nothing was happening that was impossible. Yet.
I was trying to talk myself back into just enjoying the ride and stop overthinking it, and halfway succeeded, when out of nowhere I suddenly banked hard, the track jutting out almost over a sheer cliffside. I gripped the sled more tightly as I was whipped around. The ride then dipped hard and picked up speed, barreling down the side of the mountain.
I was pushed back against the seat by the force of the drop. Jesus I didn’t remember them being this rough. I was feeling slightly nauseous. And where had this elevation drop come from I wondered? I was still in the foothills and I didn’t remember seeing anything but gentle rolling hills and light drops from looking at the ride’s route earlier. How the ride had managed such a long, steep drop in this area I didn’t know. . For the first time I hoped that the ride would be over soon. I had no idea then how much I would want that same hope to be true so much more as time went on.
With a whiplash motion I was whipped forward and then back as the ride leveled out on flat ground again, but by this point I was going fast, too fast. My neck hurt from the mild whiplash and I felt sour in my throat and for a moment the contents of my stomach threatened to come back up. For the first, but hardly the last time the ride felt unsafe. Alpine Coasters are tame affairs, much slower and gentler than full on roller coasters but this thing was throwing me around like no thrill ride I had ever been on.
I looked around. I mean I wasn’t that deep into the woods. I should have been able to see a glimpse of something; the highway, the gas station, the tourist shops, the Alpine Coaster office, something, anything. But nothing. Just trees.
I forced back some panic for the first time. I closed my eyes and counted to ten. The ride zoomed along. I counted to 60. I counted to 60 again. And again. Okay this was getting uncomfortably harder and harder to explain.
Suddenly I noticed that up ahead the track seemed to just end, for one brief, terrible moment I thought the track just ended but I was wrong. Almost without warning the track dipped in an almost vertical drop. I almost screamed as I plummeted for 20, maybe 30 seconds before flattening out again.
By this point the voice in my head that was telling me something was wrong was louder and I could no longer tell myself it was wrong. This ride could not have been this long. I tried to make sense of it, wondering if somehow I had gotten diverted onto some kind of maintenance track or, hell for one brief irrational moment even entertaining the idea that I had wound up on an actual train track somehow. But that was absurd. The rail below me was not a train track, it was still just the simple, aluminum rail of an alpine coaster and there had been no diversions or junctions in the track. I was still on the ride, as insane as that was starting to feel. Had the ride somehow looped? Again after having the thought I immediately dismissed it as crazy. There’s no way I could have missed the ride building where I got on. And what kind of ride loops over and over?
The sled zoomed through the forest, oddly never seeming to lose speed despite the relatively flat grade of the track. I cursed myself for leaving my phone in the car and not wearing a watch. I don’t know exactly how long I had been on the ride at that point but it felt like I had been on the ride for a half hour, maybe more. But time is a funny thing when you’re in a situation you’ve never been in. Could have been more, could have been less, at that point.
My pride finally failed me. I started to scream for help. I screamed out that the ride was broken, to stop it, that I needed help. I did that for about ten minutes or so I think. The ride kept going. Mostly flat, level track with occasional mild dips and turns. But the simple length of the ride grew more and more unnerving and unexplainable.
I thought about just bailing out. But the ride, impossibly, was still not slowing down and chunks of mountain rock and thick tree trunks were all around me. Bailing out without risking smashing into a rock or a tree seemed impossible.
The ride kept going.
Up ahead the forest was clearing out some, I could see the forest brightening, more sunlight making it through the canopy.
I wasn’t prepared for what I saw.
The trees stopped and I had just enough time to take in a flat, open area of rock maybe 40, 50 yards at most before another sheer cliff. The tracks twisted and turned and then shot straight down. But that wasn’t the worst of it. For a moment, a very short moment, I had a clear view for miles and the landscape was, to be blunt, totally impossible. Any possibility that I had just stumbled on some incredibly long ride was blasted out of my head. Barren, volcanic looking rock stretched for miles. Jagged, black rocky outcroppings as far as the eye could see. I was in the goddamn Smoky Mountains. They don’t look like that.
I had a few moments for the terror of that view to settle in before the cart plunged into another horrifying drop. I gripped the handles of the cheap plastic sled until my knuckles turned white. The drop felt completely vertical, like I was falling at terminal velocity. I screamed. My stomach dropped and turned. I imagined the sled coming away from the track and me just plummeting screaming to my death on the rocks below. But somehow the ride still functioned. I closed my eyes tightly and just waited for whatever was going to happen. Eventually after several what felt like a full minute of steep plunging the track again leveled out, and I opened my eyes to see myself moving at breakneck speed over that black, rocky landscape.
Now that I was moving on a more or less flat horizontal track again I took a few deep breaths. I looked over the edge of the track. Nothing but that black, jagged rock, almost looking like obsidian, zooming past. I had no idea how fast the sled was moving now. Fast. Faster than a gravity powered sled should be moving. And the track was higher off the ground now. Alpine slides usually stick pretty close to the ground, but I was 20 feet or so in the air, the track suspended in the air, a simple metal tube tower like a power pylon every few yards.
Without any immediate threat and the sled moving fast but steadily and level I was able to think about my situation again, for all the good that did me. Ahead of me the track just continued to the horizon, nothing but the same rocky landscape as far as I could see. I craned my neck to look back over my shoulder and looked back behind me and it looked the same. Even the mountains were but distant specs on the horizon behind me.
This was insane. There’s not a giant seemingly endless field of black jagged rock in the goddamn Smoky Mountains. There’s no cliff faces tall and steep enough for a multi-minute vertical drop. And alpine coasters were small affairs, not major engineering projects that span miles with pylons and vertical tracks. It made no sense.
Sadly it wasn’t going to start making any more sense anytime soon.
The ride kept going.
I was on this rocky landscape for several hours. I feel comfortable saying this because I could actually notice the sun getting lower in the sky. And the sled wasn’t slowing down despite the grade of the track being flat. I was getting cramped from sitting and stretched my legs and twisted my back as best I could. Didn’t do much help. My eyes were starting to get irritated from the constant wind in them. Worst of all it was starting to get chilly. I only had on a light jacket, a windbreaker, just something to keep the breeze off me, no real insulation. I was cold, my joints were stiff, I was hungry and thirsty. My eyes watered and my throat was so dry it was sore.
But none of that was as bad as just how little sense this all made. There’s nothing like this place anywhere near the Smoky Mountains. This was like some volcanic rock landscape. The more I thought about it the less sense it made.
The ride kept going.
My mind didn’t even try to process this. Whatever I was experiencing simply couldn’t be possible. I was crazy. I was dreaming. The CIA had kidnapped me and dosed me with some new version of LSD and I was in a straightjacket in a padded room at Area 51.
The sled kept zooming along as the sky turned to dusk. Soon the bridge disappeared from my view and I continued on along the endless, rocky, featureless landscape.
I sat back against the sled, mentally and physically numb. I was exhausted. I was thirsty. I was cramping up. I was hungry. I had to pee. I held it for as long as I could, then had no choice but just wet myself. I cried until I had no more tears left. Then I just sat there.
The ride kept going.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon my throat felt like sandpaper. I dug around in my jacket pockets hoping to find a stick of gum or piece of candy. Nothing. I checked again, having nothing else to do. Under a crumpled store receipt in the inner pocket of my jacket was a single old, forgotten cough drop. I unwrapped it from the paper and popped it in my mouth. Saliva flooded back into my mouth and I was overwhelmed by the methanol and medicine taste. It was something at least, although I knew it would be a brief and temporary fix at best.
I felt my eyes get heavy. It was getting colder. That mountain cold. That deep cold the mountains have even into the early spring when the sun goes down. That kind that just pulls the heat right out of you. I shivered. A terrible, horrible certainty came to me. I would ride until I passed out from exhaustion or the hypothermia set in. My body would tumble off the sled to fall and skip across the rocky ground like a stone skipping across a lake, my bones breaking as I tumbled until my body finally came to a stop. If I was lucky I would be killed and not have to lie for days, broken and bruised, on the ground until death took me.
The ride kept going. The ride kept going. The fucking ride kept going.
“Fuck you” I said to the ride, my voice a horse whisper. I pulled my jacket closer around me, for all the good it did. The cold wind was slowly but surely pulling my body heat away. My shivering got worse, crossing the line from a simple normal shiver into those deep, almost violent full body ones.. I wasn’t anything you could call an experienced outdoorsman, but I knew enough to know that wasn’t a good sign.
It was getting dark. There was a full moon at least so I wasn’t totally in the dark.
About then I noticed something. The landscape, what little I could see in the fading light, was changing. It was smoothing out, becoming less rocky and craggy. Up ahead an odd, shimmering light was starting to appear on the ground.
I was over it before I even realized what it was. The tracks were going over a smooth surface.
Water. It was a lake. The odd lights I had seen were the moon, reflected in ripples on the lake.
Within minutes I was out of the view of the land. After the nearly endless rocky landscape and everything else I had seen, it scared me how little I was shocked. I didn’t like how mentally numb I was getting. I leaned over. There was enough moonlight to see the water, 15 or 20 feet below the track. The pylons holding up the track went into the water, the light wasn’t good enough to even make a guess at how far they went down or how deep the water was.I leaned back in the sled. My eyes were red and bloodshot from the constant wind. I closed them. This was a mistake.I jerked awake. I don’t know if I dozed off for a split second or an hour. My weight had shifted and I caught myself as my center of gravity was in danger of sending me off the sled and into the water.
I screamed in anger. A deep primal scream. I hurt so bad. My joints felt like they were full of glass. My limbs were full of pins and needles. I glanced over at the water. For the first time on the very edges of my brain a tiny voice started to speak up, telling me that I could be all over if I just jumped. I shut the voice up, but it scared me still.
I sat there as the ride went on. It felt like hours. Eventually the lake ended in a rocky shore line. The damned ride. There was no safe place to bail out. If the ride slowed down, it was high in the air, if it moved toward the ground it sped up. Sharp rocks, big trees, nothing you could safely bail out into.
I kept having to force myself awake. I kept dozing off. Once I felt myself falling asleep and drove a vicious uppercut into my own nose to stave it off.
I seriously started to think about how much longer I could hang on. The voice came back again. This time I didn’t shut it up. I wasn’t admitting it to myself yet, but I was starting to think about the best way to land that would end it quickly if I needed to.
Something was ahead. The track seemed to dip into the ground. I was too tired, too beaten to even get scared. I was just resigned to whatever happened at this point.
With little warning the track took my sled into a tunnel in the ground. Everything went completely pitch black. After several moments even the dim moonlight was gone.
This was the worst part. The creepy forest, the immense rocky landscape, the eerie lake… those were bad. But this was just nothing. Nothing to look at, nothing to hear, nothing for reference or sense of where I was going. The walls of the tunnel felt like they were inches from me in every direction. The air felt thick, like there wasn’t enough oxygen.
With every moment I was in that tunnel I lost a little more hope. After a long, long time I made a decision. When I got out of this tunnel, I would jump. I didn’t care anymore. Hopefully there would be a spot where I could be certain the fall would instantly kill me. I was done. The ride had beaten me. I sat there, waiting for a chance to end this on my terms. That was all I had left.
Eventually up ahead, a tiny speck of light appeared. I gathered my strength, ready to end it. I sat up, getting my legs under me so I could jump as soon as we were clear. The sled burst out of the tunnel. The dim light of the full moon was enough to be momentarily blinding after the pitch black of the tunnel.. I gave my eyes a moment to adjust.
I was back in a normal looking Appalachian forest. Rolling hills, green trees. The air smelled of pine again. I heard an owl hoot off somewhere.
Slowly I lowered myself back into a setting position, in shock. At first I refused to believe it but the ride was slowing down. I held still, making sure my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me, but no, the cheap plastic sled that had been my world for what felt like an eternity was slowing down.
Up ahead, a structure was visible, peeking out from among the trees in the dim lighting as the sled moved down the track.
It was the Alpine Slide building. The crappy fake red barn where I had boarded this cursed ride so long ago. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, sure it was either my mind or the cursed ride playing tricks with me. But the building stayed there.
It grew closer and closer. The track leveled completely out. The sled slowed down more. Before I had the time to really come to terms with it I arrived back at the building.
The sled slowed to a stop, gently pumping against another sled parked on the track. I sat there for a few moments, gasping in great big gulping fear breaths, trying to assure myself the ride didn’t have one last trick of its sleeve.
I looked around. The place was empty, deserted. The overhead lights were still on and the old Pepsi machine still glowed and buzzed, but the ticket booth was dark and empty, a metal gate pulled down over the ticket window.
Suddenly it hit me that I was free and I practically leapt out of the sled and onto the platform. I immediately collapsed. My legs were jelly and my head was spinning. I tried to stand up again and doubled over, dry heaving. Have you ever been out on a boat for a day and have that weird reverse motion sickness when you’re back on solid land? It was like that times a hundred. My inner ear was literally pounding, all the motion had really done a number on it.
I laid there for a few moments and eventually forced myself to stand up on my two wobbling legs. I looked around, a horrible certainty creeping into my mind that there would be no exit, no way off the platform but to my relief an exit turnstyle, one of those full height ones, was set into the fence that surrounded the ride property.
I went through it and found myself back on the main road. The truckstop was still there, still open but far less busy. My car sat in the same corner of the parking lot I had left it.
I allowed myself one look back, just one quick one. The metal skeleton of the Alpine Slide track sat there, dark and quiet but otherwise normal.
I stumbled-ran back to my car, dug the keys out of my pocket, and collapsed inside. When the door shut I let out a primal scream, the tons of fear and confusion and anger all fusing into a single, raw emotion. I screamed again and again.
After a few moments I felt like I was emotionally at least back to a place where I could act, although I wasn’t sure yet what to do next. Not really knowing what to do I cranked the car. The A/C had been on low when I shut off the car and it came roaring back to life and cold air blowing on me almost sent me back into a full on panic attack. I fumbled with the climate controls until the air stopped blowing directly on me, then calmed down enough to turn the heat on, helping to get the chill out of my bones. There was a half full bottle of water in the center console cup holder and I grabbed it and chugged it. Nothing ever tasted as good before or sense as that few ounces of water.
That was when I noticed the clock on the radio head unit. It was 4:17 in the morning. It had been about one, one thirty or so in the afternoon when I got on the accursed ride.
Over 15 hours. I had been on the goddamn ride for over 15 hours. Over half a day.
I just sat there. Warming up. Calming down. I was exhausted. I was dehydrated. I can’t even describe how my head felt. I probably had at least a minor case of hypothermia. I thought about going into the gas station and asking for help but what would I even say, and more than anything I just wanted to get away from this place. And I just wanted to get away. I wanted to be nowhere near that damn ride.
I put the Camaro in gear and pulled into the street and in panic I immediately slammed on the brakes. I was lucky there was no traffic on the road at that moment. The feeling of accelerating to just normal surface street speeds made me sick to my stomach. I gathered myself and very slowly accelerated the car I usually treated with a very heavy foot up to 30 miles an hour. Every time I tried to accelerate at a pace faster than “Old Lady Going to Church, Uphill” I would have a panic attack. I was okay once I was up to speed, but accelerating freaked me out after being on that ride.
I drove about 30 minutes, putting some arbitrary amount of distance between myself and the coaster. Eventually I made it back to where the twisty mountain road met back up with a major road that would eventually meet back up with the highway. After a few more minutes of driving I saw the onramp for the highway. There was one of those big truckstop travel plazas and pulled in, parking right up at the door. I smelled like pee and I can only imagine how I looked, but I didn’t care.
I kept a couple of emergency 20s in the back of my wallet and spent it on the biggest bottle of water the store had, an overpriced bottle of eye drops, and a huge travel mug of coffee. The clerk looked at me as if he was expecting me to either drop dead or rob him the entire time.
Back in my car I downed the coffee. I put a few eye drops in each of my eyes and sat there as the caffeine took effect until I felt like I could make it back to my apartment. The sun was just coming up when I finally pulled out of the truck stop and got on the freeway. I slowly, very slowly, accelerated up to highway speed, put the Camaro in cruise control, and let the miles start to drift away. I turned on the radio, I needed to hear human voices. Every time my mind went back to what had just happened I turned the radio up louder, eventually drowning it out with painful levels of rock music. I wasn’t ready to think about it yet. Yes looking back I know I was just in denial. I finally made it back to the crappy little apartment I had off campus, a little two story walk up studio. I let myself in and collapsed on the cheap couch. I was asleep before I even had the time to decide whether or not to do anything else. I woke up later that afternoon. I took a shower and ate a meal and didn’t think about the ride. I washed the pee stained filthy clothes I had been wearing and didn’t think about the ride. I went back to class and didn’t think about the ride. Every time I thought about the ride I forced it out of my head. I’m sure this wasn’t the most mentally healthy thing to do but what can you say?
I didn’t forget about it, don’t be silly. This isn’t the kind of thing you forget. One day while looking up something else in the university’s library my curiosity got the better of me and I looked up the Alpine Slide. No website but a few Google Map and Yelp mentions. None of them mentioned anything weird, certainly nothing even remotely like what I experienced. Near as I can tell it closed sometimes in the winter of 2012.
Life went on. I mean, that’s what it does. The next day was a little better. And the day after that a little better. And the day after that a little better still. I met a nice girl. Graduated. Got married. Got a nice house in the suburbs. Got a dog. Had a daughter. Spent a lot of time happy and not thinking about being trapped on an endless alpine coaster.And that was my life for many, many years after that.
Until a few weeks back when as a very different person I found myself driving a boring and safe mid sized family SUV through those same mountains. My wife Carol, 5 months pregnant, sat in the passenger seat, our 6 year old daughter Emily in a booster seat in the back, and Max our mixed breed mutt next to her. It had been a nice pleasant trip, driving back from visiting her folks.
I hadn’t thought about that fucking ride in so long I barely registered that I was in the same general area until it was too late. Suddenly I realized that little mountain tourist trap town was only a few minutes down the road. I swallowed hard and gripped the steering wheel hard. Carol was looking out the window at the scenery and Emily was deep into some kid’s Youtube video on an iPad. I forced myself to keep my breath steady as we rounded the corner.The town was still there, sorta. Time had not been kind to it. The gas station was still there, at some point it had been bought out by Shell. The tourist trap shops were still there. One of them was now a vape shop. The diner was closed, the building looking like it sat unused for a long time.
But of course that’s not what I cared about. A looked over at the site where the Alpine Coaster once stood. It was gone. The kitschy fake barn was gone. The site was just a bare concrete slab with a chainlink fence around it. Faded “no trespassing” and “for sale” signs hung off the fence. A pile of old, decaying lumber that might have once long ago been part of the structure covered part of the old lot. No sign of the track remained outside of some old concrete support posts dotting the side of the mountain.
I exhaled out a breath I hadn’t even realized I had been holding in. Soon the little town disappeared in my rear view mirror.
About a half hour later we stopped for gas. I pulled up to a gas pump across from a massive motorhome. Max stuck his head out the window and started barking at a little white dog, a toy breed of some kind, in the window of the motorhome. Carol and Emily immediately headed into the store to restock on snacks while I fueled up.
I stood there, a half smile on my lips as Max barked and wagged his tail in an attempt to attract the attention of the other dog while I filled up the tank, said dog doing an admirable job of ignoring him.
Right about the time I finished fueling up and cleaning the bugs off the windshield Carol returned from inside the store, Emily in tow, arms filled with two full sized bags of Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips and what looked to be a half dozen individually wrapped pickles.
I raised an eyebrow at the collection of food but knew better than to question a pregnant woman's snack choices.
“Should we take Max for a quick walk?” Carol asked. The travel plaza had a nice little gated dog walking area off to the side.
“Yeah probably not a bad idea, he’s been cooped up in the car for a few hours.” I said. Max, upon hearing his name and the word “walk” , forgot about the other dog and upgraded from wagging his tail to wagging his entire body while making whining sounds and staring right at me.
About this time I became half aware that the big motor home next to us was pulling away. I didn’t think much of it, outside of doing a quick automatic mental check to make sure Emily was well clear of the moving vehicle, but she was safely between me and our SUV, well out of the way.
But that was when Emily looked behind me and cheerfully yelled “Daddy look a roller coaster! Can I ride the coaster?”
It’s cliche as fuck I know but my blood went cold.
I turned around slowly, certain in my knowledge that terrible old decrepit Alpine Coaster would be there, having just popped into existence to trap me again.
That.. is not what I saw. Sure enough there was a coaster there, one I hadn’t noticed earlier because it had mostly been blocked by the motor home, but there it was. It was even an Alpine Coaster.
But it was not the same coaster I had encountered those years ago. That was immediately obvious. It was a small but modern and newish looking setup with neon lights and a bunch of people. There was an actual building where you bought tickets and a little snack stand.
“Daddy! Can we go on the coaster!” Emily asked again.
My mouth made motions but no words came out. I glanced over at Carol, hoping she’d say we didn’t have time but to my horror she smiled and said “You know what? That does sound like fun. Daddy will take you while I take Max for a walk.”
My mind raced, trying to think of a way to get out of it. But Emily was already dragging me across the parking lot to the entrance.
I patted my pocket, making sure my phone was in it. Every fiber of my being was screaming to run away. I slept walked through the line and the ticket booth while Emily bounced happily.
We got into a two seat plastic sled. This one was actually a lot nicer than the one my mind wouldn’t stop thinking about. It had two nice cushioned seats, big grab handles, even a nice rollbar.
The sled started up the track. I fought back the panic. I swerved my head around, keeping the building in my view. I was terrified of losing sight of it. We made it to the top and Emily did a happy squeal as we started down the side of the mountain.
My heart raced. Any second, any second my mind told me we’d lose sight of the building and then the ride would never end. The ride sped down the mountain. My mind tortured me with thoughts of not only going through it again, but seeing Emily go through it. The ride went around a big, banking turn. Emily kept shouting happily. How long before Carol reported us missing I wondered? Could I keep Emily calm? What if it lasted even longer this time? What if this time it never ended?
And then we were back at the start of the ride. The same attendant who had helped us into the sled was helping Emily out. I stepped out. The attendant gave me a brief look but said nothing. I guess I looked a little wild eyed.
I was fine. Emily was fine. It had been a perfectly normal, fun ride.
“That was fun Daddy! Thank you!” Emily said. I forced a smile back. “It was fun.” I responded, hoping like I sounded like I meant it.
I took Emily’s hand and we walked back to the car. Max saw us coming and barked happily. Carol looked up from the pint of Ben and Jerry’s she had somehow acquired and added to her snack collection while we were gone and smiled at us.
“Did you have fun?” she asked.
“It was so fun Mommy!” Emily said.
Carol smiled down at her, but then looked at me and frowned. “Are you okay?” Carol could read my face a lot better than the attendant could. “You’re pale.”
I smiled and this time the smile felt real. “Ya know what. Yeah, I think I am okay.”
Carol looked a little puzzled, but didn’t press it. We loaded Emily back in her booster seat, stopped Max from trying desperately to eat half a discarded gas station hot dog off the ground and got him back in the car. Carol and her small collection of snack food took her place in the passenger seat and I got in the driver's seat.I smiled. I cranked the car. I put it in gear. I pulled out of the gas station and back on the road, this time accelerating just a little faster than I had in years.

Do they really think this 99 days of summer driver safety is going to do any good? Sure give us some videos to watch and tests to take. That's going to help a lot. We know about Bill of lading and ppe. How about you go to every district and ride along with some good drivers. See the job sites they go to and listen to the problems they have. Don't go to the drivers that like to kiss upper management ass. Go to the ones that will tell you like it is because they actually care. How about you see what every district requires their drivers to do. Walking over trip hazards, going to places with no driveways covered in construction materials. Delivering around power equipment. Walking over electrical cords. Going under scaffolding. Trudging through mud, snow, and rain. Putting large deliveries on vans because they don't want to pay to use the box truck. Making us do deliveries in blizzards and extreme windchill. If a driver refuses, then they get a phone call and told to just do it. Sherwin doesn't care. Drivers are getting hurt all the time. That's what this training is about. But they actually don't care. They will say one thing to just turn around at a district level and make us do it. Just so they can say we trained them not to and here is proof. They must be losing a lot of money in lawsuits from these hurt drivers. Just trying to cover their butts so they can put it back on the driver if they get hurt. Please, send me someone to talk to. I'll definitely fill them in on my district and how bad it really is. I'll also go ahead and tell them how bad their routing system is and how they can fix that as well. But why would they want to talk to the people who are actually doing the job and are good at it. They just look at numbers. Every district isn't the same and you can't run it like it is. Hey, how about we hire some more drivers as well and pay better. You obviously know how dangerous this job is. So pay for that. The wear and tear on the body alone is worth way more than what I make. Sorry for the rant ( not really) but your stupid little training, corporate, is going to do nothing for driver safety. Actually put some solid policies in place where a driver can access it and confidently refuse an unsafe delivery without fearing getting in trouble. Your prize incentive for participating is more like a slap in our face. I'll wait for my socks or rag for driver appreciation week. This whole thing just shows me you know how bad it really is, how important we really are, and still refuse to protect us the right way. More videos and tests, yep, that's gonna work. Thanks.

I live in a county outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Here are my questions.
1.) From what I’ve been told it’s unusual to have an attorney for a trial like this. Is that true?
2.) If I should get an attorney, I’m having a hard time finding one. I had a few free consultations and they all said trials with the judge deciding are really hard to win. What kind of attorney and in what specialization should I be looking for? And why are they really hard to win if I have strong enough evidence to discredit the claims?
2.) I’m trying to put together the evidence in the correct format for the trial. I know there’s opening statements, cross examination, closing statements, etc. but have no idea of the order of events. Can someone outline how a civil trial is organized/formatted?
3.) How long do these kinds of trials go on for? There is a ton of accusations against me and I can prove the defendant is outright lying, giving information without context to mangle the story of what actually happened, and on the few occasions I did mildly lose it on this person through texts is because this person was abusive first to me - I am going to argue reactive abuse as one of my defenses for those few claims. But it’s a lot to go through since there is like 20 claims made against me. Is there a time limit or anything barring me from being able to go through each of the complaints, tell my side of the story and show supporting evidence backing it up?
4.) Witnesses - how many should I have? What qualifies a person to be a witness, i.e. did they need to actually witness events or did I just tell them about it after? Are character witnesses a good idea? The claim is that I’m dangerous, which is not true and I have longtime friends and family that can testify that I have no history of criminal record or being dangerous/erratic in any way.
5.) If I do represent myself, what are some suggestions you have for me or resources for me to look into? Can I object to something the person says, and on what grounds? This is a lot.
6.) The reason I am trying so hard to have this dismissed is because I am a master’s level social worker and no one will hire me with this on my record. I spent six years in school and over ten years in the field and my career may come to an end over this. I really do not care to ever see the person again regardless of the outcome. Should I bring this up in the trial, and if so how?
7.) Can witnesses testify over Zoom or something like that? Most of my witnesses live all over the country and would not be able to fly here for this.
8.) What are some things that I ABSOLUTELY should not do? Things to steer clear from (other than continuing to obey the order, I know that) that would be a terrible mistake for my defense?
9.) What do civil court judges actually care about in a trial? I know the burden of evidence is essentially on me, but for example, again I’m worried that my presentation of the evidence is too long. The last thing I wanna do is annoy or piss off the person deciding my fate. What is the best way to gain their respect about how I’m presenting my case?
10.) How do I even present my case? Right now I’m making a PowerPoint and have a GoogleDoc where I refute her claims and have the evidence. Can I show this in court on a projector or something? And what counts as evidence anyways?
Help. This person terrorized ME and when I expressed to them that I was scared for my safety due to their behavior, they ran and filed the OP before I could act. I am absolutely terrified of them and it sucks that I have to be around them again. I don’t want my years of hard work in my field to be for nothing.

I was watching a residential home framing YouTube video from Australia & the framers were walking around on the Posi joists installing the flooring for the 2nd floor
There were no safety equipment, scaffolding etc. 1 slip & they would fall onto the concrete slab below & they are lugging around yellow tongue particle board etc
Is this normal?? I’m just a paper pusher in an office but to me this seemed incredibly dangerous
https://youtu.be/s6-IYUNsbjU?si=Mww7jPdX_U8Vznmy

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Contract states we’ll pay a few grand for hoarding! I assumed it was safety requirement but scaffolding is up and roof is being worked on and they haven’t done it yet. Job is roof extension btw

I am career science teacher. Recently, a new temporary contract teacher (an LTO), took over a chemistry contract for the year.
A few days ago, I observed their class doing a chemistry lab with stations set up around the room. However, there was a glaring lack of safety precautions. None of the students were wearing goggles, some were sitting on desks while conducting experiments, and the lab benches remained unused. Students were even walking around with glassware. The LTO was casually reclining behind the front desk with his legs up. It looked like one of those lab cartoons that we show.
Science and tech teachers, I wonder, what would you do if you had a colleague like this? Are my safety lessons considered old school? I always do them because there are curriculum expectations, like knowing WHMIS and HHPS and I view lab safety as similar to occupational health and safety (i.e. always wear closed toed shoes), it's training so students know what to do ahead of time just in case.
I said something to this teacher and sent over some safety powerpoints, however, I don't sense cohesion among the ranks, the other science teachers give this the side-eye but have not said anything, they might even view it as 'not their job to say anything'. Given the background of my current administration, I highly doubt that they understand lab safety around chemicals. Does the union care about these types of things?
Tech teachers, what if this lax approach to safety occurred in a carpentry or automotive workshop?
Science teachers, is lab safety passé?

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