I am trying to use Power Query to perform a join on data using wildcard characters. From what I have seen online, this is rather difficult as PQ does not support wildcards, and what I want is more intricate than the solutions I've seen, even though I feel like it should be fairly simple.
What I have is data in the form of 5-digit codes that looks like (for example):
22425
13634
34090
And I have to map onto it these descriptions based on their codes. I could put them into formulas, but I'd rather have the logic in the tables and have that applied through a Power Query merge. The mapping looks something like this:
???9? Result A
13??? Result B
???25 Result B
Ideally, this would compare the first column in the mapping to the code, and it will return the first row that fits the criteria. So mapping these codes would get:
22425 Result B
13634 Result B
34090 Result A
I feel like this could easily be done in SQL, but as I can't do it there, I want to do it in Power Query, but I haven't figured out how. If anyone has any advice, I'd greatly appreciate it!
Edit: formatting

Just finished a 10 day mediterranean cruise on Resilient lady. Having only previously cruised on Scarlet lady in early 2022 at a third capacity on a 5 day Caribbean itinerary, I thought I would share my impressions.

1. This cruise was at capacity which I was worried about how the experience would differ. Overall, it did not feel busy to us. We didn't really have to wait in any lines, we were able to see all the shows we wanted, and we were able to book all the dinner reservations and gym classes we wanted. I will note that we knew to book restaurants as soon as we got on the ship and as soon as the exercise classes opened at 3pm. In comparison, this recent experience was much more lively and active. The previous cruise was creepy at times with venues often being empty.
2. This cruise seemed like a much older crowd than our previous experience- they said average age was 52. We are in our late 30's and it didn't seem like there were many younger passengers. With that said, the 5 day Caribbean itineraries are more likely to have a younger party crowd so we were partly expecting this to be an older demographic. There were a number of people who walked out of some of the performances making comments about having an agenda pushed down their throat, but overall, didn't feel like the "come as you are" vibe was impacted. The only issue I saw was that many of the older passengers seemed to not be aware of the option to order at your table in the galley. Most mornings, there were lines forming at the various breakfast counters unnecessarily, which made it often difficult to walk around. We ordered from the staff at our table and were able to be served and complete our meal within 30 minutes. So keep in mind you can use the red flag to order at the table- no need to line up! Another concern was that there were a lot of obviously sick older people coughing, etc. The amount of times we saw people touch things without using the readily available hand sanitizers after wiping their noses and coughing was quite astonishing. Yes, this happens on all cruises, but this seemed a bit more frequent than we have seen before.
3. All of the port tender and shuttles went really smoothly! Longest we had to wait for a shuttle was about 10 min in Crete. Disembarkation was also super quick as we were off the ship carrying our luggage within 10 min.
4. We bought the 5 day thermal spa pass for $259 each person. We aren't big party people or drinkers, so we would often go to the spa in the evening after dinner. If you do this, note that on one of the days you get a special sugar scrub and lotion to use as part of the mud room which was lovely!
5. We had a $600 bar tab which we used despite not drinking much. We had specialty coffees at each breakfast and also bought non-alcoholic drinks such as Humm Kombucha and Kin Euphorics. Also, each restaurant and bar seemed to have at least one or more non-alcoholic or low alcoholic options. Finally, if we did decide to have a drink, we splurged on expensive glasses of wine (Caymus, Moet, etc) which was a nice experience.
6. We booked an excursion at each port and all were pretty great experiences. Of note, I didn't think the excursion prices were that much more expensive than what I found on trip advisor, etc, so I preferred to book with the ship for flexibility and securing tender spots where needed.
7. One of the few negative experiences we had was the room location. I mentioned we aren't big on partying and treated this trip as more of a wellness and relaxation vacation. We booked an XL sea terrace about a year before the trip using a travel agent. I didn't bother to look at the room location and unfortunately we had 8330Z, which had a speaker from the Red Room right below. I'm not kidding when I say the room shook from the sound system- to the point where we had to disassemble the mini fridge shelves and pull out the drawers as they were knocking around so much and the noise was absurd. Even if you were hard of hearing, the vibration and shaking alone would make it impossible to relax and fall asleep. We reached out to sailor services who said they could offer ear plugs, but that was it. Luckily on the 2nd day, sailor services called us and offered us a room change to 11350A, an XL sea terrace (without hammock), which we gladly accepted. Note that Red Room entertainment goes to 11pm, so this would only be a problem if you are early to bed and early risers like us.
8. We had on board credit so decided to do the behind the scenes tour. It was definitely a good one-time experience and we learned a lot of interesting aspects. For example, all the restaurants cook the plates per order (yes there's prep, but there's not plates just sitting under a warmer waiting to be served). All pastries are made on ship. One of the striking impressions was that the staff seem to genuinely enjoy their job. Several times they said they were promoted quickly, there's lots of perks including being able to eat at the restaurants and book excursions, and they liked that they can show their tattoos, piercings, have hair of any color, etc. They also said there's purposely no visible rankings, uniform differences, or countries of origin listed. They want everyone treated with the same level of respect- you may actually have encountered the captain and not know it. It's a bit refreshing from the over the top interactions that staff on other cruise lines show. Staff seem genuinely in a good mood on Virgin.
9. Overall, this solidified that we love Virgin Voyages. We did an Alaska itinerary on Royal Caribbean (Quantum of the Seas) last summer and Virgin is a much better experience in our opinion. On RC, we felt like everything was an upsell or shopping centric and run down (yes it is an older ship than Resilient but it seemed grimy). Areas were over crowded on RC and overall felt chaotic. Virgin seemed to have longer stays in the ports than we have experienced on RC (less concerned with shopping and casino sales?) Also, not having kids on the cruise makes a big difference. Food is much better on Virgin, apart from us really liking the sushi restaurant on Quantum- note that we did the unlimited specialty restaurant package on Quantum as we thought the dining room quality had gone down and we don't like buffets. Overall, I feel that while Virgin is more expensive up front, it is a better quality experience. We will likely go on another RC cruise as my parents are avid cruisers and won't try another line despite our encouragement, but we are definitely sold on the Virgin experience. We used the book your next voyage promotion on the ship and will be going on Brilliant Lady in 2026 in a suite. Having a suite on the 2022 voyage and an XL terrace on this recent voyage, we feel the cost is worth it for the suite, although the XL sea terrace was still a very nice experience.

Happy to answer any questions you have!

M21 I'm doubting if it was strict parenting or if it was the drink but I want opinions. She has done a lot but I don't feel entirely satisfied either. But in the days I have drafted this, my doubts only grow.
As a kid my mom hawked over me and now things I wish I could have experienced did not exist, like going to a park or playground with a friend without supervision, whereas she did. Going to the gas station for snack I couldn't, when she asked her parents and was given a quarter when everything was a cent. Riding a bike was limited to the street we live on, and when I was able to leave, I couldn't leave the neighborhood when she walked for a while to make sure her friend got home. Once sitting on my bike at the edge of the sidewalk and she walked over, cursed me out for going on a different street and wouldn't believe me. I couldn't go to a friends house because I was going to do my homework how my teacher taught me instead of hers, which I didnt know and was not taught. At a friends house, she berated me for making her wait in the car for a few minutes longer than the arranged pickup time. By comparison to what it would have been like, it is a magical opportunity lost.
For most of my school years, all I did was go to school, do homework and play games. Despite catching on to lessons quickly, classes were something to pass, nothing more, not even for life skills. Have a B? Make it an A. I did. Is the project due? Make it better. Alright. Taking orchestra and painting was fleeting then and while I enjoyed it, it was only done for practice or assignment. Now I am upset that it was all I did instead of going out and experiencing life: going out with friends, finding a club or sport to do, or just big activity sessions. Never had a curfew because I never left home to start. I may have had fun gaming then, but I lament heavy over that now to where I will not touch one. A future education and the future as a whole I should have taken a lot more seriously than I could possibly have imagined. School did push for it, but I was a fool and did not care.
Other than the occasional family visit, I did nothing and learned nothing. Never taught to cook much, properly clean, shop for necessities, make right finances, etc. Future prospects was left to whatever I would choose, which I would put it later down the road. Never got any real world experience and just been sheltered for so long, both by my doing and my moms. No drive to do anything, nothing of a hopeful future, no being pulled out of whatever I was doing to learn anything or having skills necessary in the world today be incentivized. Aside from making sure I did well in school, I was left to myself.
She always has something to complain about. Streaks of mean and grumpy. Remembered somethings of what we were interested in but other times just an empty face. Who my mom is today is doom and gloom, speaking two different points that are showing the worst of her and nitpicking over every possible detail. Most of who she enjoys in media has an underlying toxic presence to them with name calling. Polarize, prejudice, politicize, judge and bias everything. Norway and Iceland? Too cold and mountainous, how could anyone have settled there? Germany? They all speak the same language and cannot understand anyone in a city that is 30 minutes away. That guy's accent she can't stand and defaulted to being generated, even though he sounds the same speaking Finnish. All for a better planet yet everything is wasted, trashed, or sent to China. Treat others how you want to be and from where I stand, seem like a backtalking coward. Couldn't have a water pitcher because "no one refilled it" to keep the filter going when I made sure to keep it plentiful. If she has a problem she will bring up the one exact same example related to the topic that I have heard plenty before. And most of the negative aspects of society happen more likely than they should. All while bring home a 24, 30 or however many count of budweiser a week at least. I imagine we only got along because I wasn't a brat anymore and did not try to upset her. Falling in line if you will.
Emotions bottled or maybe emotionally dead. The masculinity trap of what is the general expectation of "men". To express myself, to show emotion, to even cry is something I don't want to do out of fear of being seen, which is ironic given the code of the samurai. 6th grade she didn't remember to pick me up even though I said and called and a friend and his friend caught me being emotional and stayed around a bit to comfort me.
The fear that was put into everything. An actual quote went something as "If you get hurt, I'm not going to drive you to the hospital". Another "All girls are evil". And "that sounds too confrontational" when I asked neighbors to clean after their dog. Even questioning if my eyes doing something required a doctor for her to say that my eyes will fail naturally and something about her relative who had an eye problem and didn't see a doctor. Things that made me not do the kinds of things I want to do now. I have been so sheltered then and now that I want to go out but there is the ever scared part of me towards the unknown world. I feel I have been prejudiced into thinking such ways but there's no personal experience to back or challenge said thoughts.
Admittably, parts of me are glad I know what I have and want for morals and mindset, but its also a matter of temptation and theres still so much that I wish to explore. At times I feel I matured too quickly at the cost of a kids stupidity or innocence and now am too serious and heavyhearted for my own good. To be told how I've matured when there wasn't much to mature from. A part of me feels that I have taken after her cold, judgemental, selfish attitude and that makes me fearful to screw up any kind of friendship or relationship, and dreading that I could reflect that onto any child I may have no matter how far away into the future I do have one. I kind of want to hate her but I am so emotionally gone or warped that I can't. If I "rebel" now, or begin to, I feel that might get the fire started.
She would argue with my dad from time to time but then that continued on for days and it was a cold environment lasting days to weeks after a fight. Even prior to their fights, they rarely slept together in the same bed, let alone the same room. She would critique his employer and even his choice of friends. Once he woke up late, thus having us late to get ready for school and she began one for that. I don't remember the exact details but she once criticized him over a coat he got me. All while listening from the top of the stairs to even the bottom where I was covered by a wall. A few times we listened and we made noise that I think made them aware of us but that didn't stop them. Even starting in our presence where we would leave the room. It got to the point where he actually packed lightly to leave for the night or days and my brother and I stopped him just so he could be home. I wish I did let him go then.
I really do believe I could have had it differently if my dad was alive. He made such an effort. When I was in hospital at 4, he made the efforts to get me out and moving around. When I didn't know a swim style, he literally chucked me towards the deeper waters (I was scared, but he was right in the end, one of the fondest memories). He taught me how to use the mower and had a mini shop set up in the garage. I played with him so much and he got me into the complex games he enjoyed as I got older. For as rough we were, he was so gentle. I looked up to him then and even more than ever now. He made the effort to be one worthy of "Dad" and he was damn well worthy of that and no one could be more better for me.
"Faded gray are all the days of yesteryears So much time has turned to memories and to tears" -Valkyrja
I did graduate HS 3 years ago, did a summer program and since nothing. No job, education chances, or life plans. Even though I felt smarter, I was turned off of college simply for cost reasons and "feeding the rich" mindset. Last summer I began to look at my past and future with a whole new look with no physical change taking effect. First week into March this year I realized what I have been doing compared to how others are living through good and bad and I fell into depression hard. Now it persists with great off and on. Where I have been up at 9 in the morning to suddenly be up at 5 or 6 in the afternoon. Throughout the past 3 years, there was no making sure I was ok, no seeing how I felt, no finding out what I wanted to do. And I am still frightened of what may be out there, even when that is the key to the living that I want. I want to go, I need to go. But where? I leave for the good and better of myself, but I also leave behind this place I've called home, yet it's now so far from the one I want to remember with a fond memory. So much happens that seems to have been "normal" when it doesn't seem like it should. The same place with the same inhabitants in the same motions. No going out, no difference, no change, and VERY artificial. Nothing means anything anymore. To let how I feel about the previous years subside in me or blow over...
Always have been insecure, hesitant, second guessing. While others had spent their 18s, 19s and 20s going into the world doing many things, I've had the summer program at 18, nothing at 19, and two days in the big city to attend a concert at 20. Little noteworthy moments under my belt. It seems like love in the immediate family was not two ways or had to be earned. I have not grown. Who I am is not who I want to be at heart.
For 21, I know I should have more skills and be in better places, but theres nothing from anyone. No check-in, no advice, no motivation. Like "the birdling will leave the nest" instead of anyone preparing a boy to what is before him. Its not a snap of fingers or blink of an eye do I learn what is expected. On the grown up part, I feel heavily underprepared for the world and life. Far too long have I stayed and lived in my head. I cannot understand why I am still at home, a part of myself thinks to keep the peace but what peace needs to be kept? Nothing and no one is stopping me from leaving except myself and the thought that they will most definitely want to know where I am if I go, which I do not want to tell anyone. Or that I've been sheltered and not have realised the gates have been unlocked long ago. Things are not ok and I want to stop pretending when I leave. Even with Spring's green grass under a blue sky that ends the day with the orange sunset piercing the clouds to make them blue and pink do I feel grey.
"Watching to the night with tired eyes Waiting for nothing all my life" -Battle Against Time
I feel the kid within me, wanting to do those exciting things, yearning for any kind of companion or fellowship. What daylight reveries I can conjure to make him feel hopeful enough so he can shine soon. The things I want to do to feel happy. I want to water that little guy.
A lot of this I have remembered recently and still am connecting the dots. I already am upset at myself for not doing anything in life, but I want to be angry and I honestly hate myself for not seeing this sooner and listening to her for so long. Despite feeling broken and defunct, I still feel young enough but there's been so little done that it feels many chances are long gone. There is more freedoms I have that I do not know about and ones that I have had before that gathered dust. And now I am in a toss up between beginning college preparation now, leaving states or the country to act on these now childhood regrets. I don't want to be who I am now any longer. I just want to do something. And in between it all, confusion of what to do, how to feel and saddened that I am not who I once was or could have been.

Hi all, longtime listener, first-time caller. Please see my query and first 300 below.
My biggest question is this: 95% of the story takes place in 2014, but the book opens in 2020 when my main character receives a letter from the California Dept of Fair Housing & Employment informing her of an investigation into behavior at Chatpic. Receiving the letter spurs her to tell the story of what happened back then. The book checks back into 2020 in the middle as my MC tries to get more information about the investigation, and then it ends back in 2020 again when she decides what she wants to do about the letter.
The reason the story takes place in 2014 is because the time period--pre #MeToo/Donald Trump/the workplace reckoning of 2020--informs the decisions the MC makes back then, and she's looking back at it from a wiser perspective. If you've read The Rachel Incident, Caroline O'Donoghue does a similar thing as she retells a 2008 abortion story from the perspective of present day.
In the end, the investigation is not a driving force of the plot--so my question is how important is it that it's mentioned in the query? I ask because I've found that trying to add that piece to what I've already written starts to get convoluted, though obviously I can work at it. I think it's very clear once you read the first 300, but for agents who don't want a sample, is it clear in the blurb that this story is looking back to a time gone by?
Mostly looking for insight on this question specifically, but if you have further feedback about the letter for first 300, open to that as well. Thanks!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear [Agent],
Thank you for the opportunity to submit my query for TERMS OF SERVICE, a true-ish fictional story about a young woman in a nearly impossible workplace a la UNCANNY VALLEY meets THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (with shades of 9 TO 5). TERMS OF SERVICE is complete at 95,000 words.
It’s 2014 and down-and-out celebrity blogger Maggie Clarke is desperate for a fresh start. Not only is she broke in New York City, but at 31, she thought she’d be writing something a little less embarrassing than Justin Bieber listicles by now. When her longtime internet friend Aron York–recently named the world’s youngest billionaire–offers her a lucrative position at his massively popular social media app Chatpic that puts her at the center of his inner circle in Los Angeles, it’s exactly the step-up she’s been waiting for. As Maggie learns to manage the always-on hours, the slew of acronyms, and the unlimited access to free cold brew, she encounters another more complicated problem–the boys’ club. Except this isn’t the typical ham-fisted sexism she’s used to–this is the tech bro variety: insidious, inexorable, and infuriating. When she meets an ambitious young reporter who encourages her to speak out, Maggie has a shot at revenge. But in a world before mansplaining and microaggressions, is blowing the whistle worth the risk? And is anyone ready to hear it?
Like Maggie, I was also plucked from internet obscurity by the world’s (then) youngest billionaire, [redacted], to come work at his massively popular social media app, [redacted company]. I was a founding member of the company’s content team, and all I have to show for it is six footnotes in the [redacted company] biography [redacted title] and the brutal feminist awakening that inspired me to write this manuscript. Before that, I was a full-time writer in New York whose work has appeared on MTV, Rolling Stone and Elle. Currently I’m a content and editorial consultant in Chicago, and I’m also on TikTok where 21,000 people watch me rant about work and office culture. (It’s also where 2M people enjoyed my show-and-tell video about the “sentimental” stock certificates [redacted company previously mentioned] gave a few early employees–that were worth exactly $0.00.)
As the agent who represents [Author 1] and [Author 2], you have a strong list when it comes to complex female characters embroiled in complicated social dynamics. TERMS OF SERVICE would be a great addition to this track because, while similar themes of class and workplace are explored, my flavor of levity and sarcasm makes my work distinct from [Author 1] and [Author 2], bringing a new facet to your program.
If you are interested in reading TERMS OF SERVICE, I would be happy to forward a sample of any length you suggest. Thank you for your consideration!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
First 300:
Chapter 1
2020
A lot of people might revel in the idea of receiving a letter announcing an investigation into their ex-employer.
One might, for example, envision draping themselves in a mink stole, lighting the cigarette at the end of their old-timey cigarette holder, and dialing the investigator’s number from a rotary phone atop a solid wood desk under shadowy, film noir lights. One might then imagine whispering I knew this day would come into the receiver between bursts of psychotic, hysterical laughter as they rejoiced in the long overdue arrival of the long arm of the law.
But me, I wasn’t so sure. Maybe because I didn’t have a mink stole.
No, I was crouched on the ground of my parents’ musky basement in Des Plaines, Illinois, knee-deep in piles of old diaries and CDs when I received notice of one such letter. It was month four of COVID, and Dad and I were only halfway through his cleaning list. He was already a germaphobe so a global pandemic was all he needed to justify a top-to-bottom disinfection of the entire house. And since my routine trip home in the middle of March turned into a hapless extended stay when the world shut down, it was the perfect excuse to put me to work. Just like the good old days.
We wiped down every square inch of the place. We soaked the faucet heads in lemon juice, we scrubbed the coffee mugs with baking soda. We vacuumed the damn fridge.
Reorganizing the basement shelves was a beast. Every box was like a Russian nesting doll of useless crap: old TV Guides, corroded double-A batteries, dried-out cans of paint primer, an unsettling number of hand saws. I made decent headway through the “tools” and “electronics,” but I lost all steam when I got to my high school stuff—faded Polaroids and folded-up notes stopped me in my tracks.

She broke up with me because she said I was unsupportive. The first example is when she got off the waitlist at a good university and decided to go there instead of the college we were supposed to go to together and live off campus at. I was clearly upset for a couple of days because all of our plans that I thought were a guarantee were flipped upside down and now we would be a 9 hour drive apart. But, after a while, I accepted that this school would be better for her and that she would be happy there and we could make this work. Over the next 6 months I would fly to her once or twice a month and spend the weekend and in all that time she only visited me once, but I didn't mind because we were still seeing each other. Now, she is currently studying abroad and was supposed to come back to visit, but she canceled in order to pursue a bike race. This obviously upset me and I was bummed for a day or two because I wouldn't be seeing her but I was still cheerful because I would be visiting over spring break. Then she decided that instead of coming straight home for summer she would also be extending her stay for 2 months for another bike race she wanted to do. This canceled our plans for summer where we would go on a camping/road trip. This again upset me for a while and I would ask if she could come home and fly out for the race later and even offered to pay for it. But no matter what solution I posed it was always "No, it's just another month or two and then we will see each other". Eventually, I accepted this and looked forward to the couple of weeks we would have for summer. I visited over spring break and things were great and just how they were in person and while I was there she let me know that she didn't appreciate the fact that she felt I wasn't showing as much support as her family and friends when she had these great opportunities and wanted better from me in the future. She said that I was always too sad for too long and that she had these great races to do that her family made her realize she would regret doing and that I was the only thing holding her back because she didn't want to upset me. I agreed and told her I would try to work on that and be more excited for what she is doing vs what we are losing from these opportunities. When I came home everything was good for about two months. Then two weeks ago she says she has some things she wants to talk about but she wants time to think them through. A week later we begin a break because she wants to be able to rethink all her decisions and her lifestyle. Then yesterday I asked her to talk because I had thought of some solutions to our problem and how we can return to how things were because I was under the impression that the break was just that, a break and we would be back together after. Then she says that the problem has altered her feelings and she doesn't think she could be happy in the relationship but she was willing to hear me out. She agreed that everything I said would fix it and improve the relationship but she didn't want to be in a relationship where she was unhappy even though we were going to be working on it and she thought it would fix it. All of this came as a shock to me because there was nothing from the time that we were together over spring break and now that I could've shown differently about my supportiveness. Now all I feel is lost because we had been together for 1.5 years and never had any problems before this was the first big one. And even though we found a solution we both think would work she doesn't want to try. But, I can't imagine my life without her so I don't know what to do. I don't think reaching out now would help so I'm thinking of meeting up with her over the summer when she is back and see if she can fall in love again then, but I also know I should move on and can't spend the next 2 months in limbo just waiting for her to return. But, whenever I think about not speaking with her or the plans we were supposed to have and the future we wanted to build I get dizzy and can't imagine living my life without her. Even her dad was shocked and still wants to stay in contact with me and is coming to visit soon because I was really close with her family and they all thought we were perfect together. All in all I just want advice on what people think I should do because I want her back.

Just out of The Strangers: Chapter 1, and I either need validation/vindication, or to be convinced that I'm wrong (and I'm open to that, by all means).

I'd avoided delving too deep into any backstory of this film. Initially I'd thought this was going to be a prequel-series of films, given how Prey at Night ended (two killers dead, one almost certainly dead). So I went in with my back up, as you always should with a horror prequel, or indeed series - what's the actual risk to the villains if they'll allegedly appear in the future (be that the in-universe future, or a future film)?
Within the first few minutes, our lead lady is using a smartphone/Google Maps, and shortly thereafter an AirBNB is mentioned. So we're in present-day, and it's not a prequel - that's fine.
Once we meet The Strangers, The Man in the Mask showed no burns or signs of injury from the previous film, and is wearing significantly different clothing than he usually would. Pin Up Girl and Dollface were hella dead by the end of that film. With all of this said, I'm to believe we have a new trio of killers donning the masks, right? Great.
And yet, it all felt wasted. Nothing new, nothing interesting happened.
Our lead characters were not especially likeable. The dialogue in the car was pretty forced and expository, and they just felt very generic. They looked great and I've no problem with the actors, but feel they weren't given much to do.
In fact, nobody is very likeable in this film. The okayest-character was the girl in the diner who gave them a lift to the house, and even that was probably part of the killers' setup.
Everyone in town... was just downright awful, for no apparent reason. Sneering because the central couple come from the city. Literally making multiple "Huh, she's a VEGETARIAN?" jokes - seriously, was this film written in 2002 and mildly modernized, or something? What the hell are we doing here?!
Our lead characters were also just not smart. Examples:

• Maya is alone in the house. A stranger has come knocking (twice), refusing to elaborate on their intentions. She smokes a joint and takes a shower to relax, while still alone. The power is cut, she meets an unknown individual in the hallway, and runs upstairs to hide in a closet. Then, because she smoked the joint, Ryan convinces her she may have imagined it. She also leaves her phone down (I honestly don't remember what became of it after she asks "Where the fuck is mine?").
• Ryan shoots the goddamn owner of the house, not caring that he wasn't wearing a mask - pointless callback to the first film where the lead man accidentally shoots his friend, btw - and then doesn't shoot Pin-Up girl in the forest when he has her at point-blank range. Why do people never shoot people in the feet/knees? They (probably) won't die, and they'll know you're not fucking around. But no, plenty of time for a dude to come knock you out with the butt of an axe.
• The truck-ramming scene was incredibly forced, and annoyingly danced around dad-truck-murder scene in Prey at Night. Both characters sucked here (he checked the front and back seats, but not the very back of the jeep - I was surprised they didn't have one of the killers climb over the seats).

As I watched, I thought "Okay, chill - it's not as if they know they're in a horror movie. People get jittery and make mistakes when under duress". But I think nowadays, horror movies in general have just surpassed this kinda stuff. They don't - shouldn't - get a free pass for characters being outright stupid, just to make plot happen. Especially when they're the ONLY characters we're following for the whole film. If you wanna introduce a dopey hyuck friend for some death fodder, go right ahead. But it's asking a bit too much nowadays to root for a character who makes stupid choices for just no good reason.
I'm no expert, but I do love my horror movies, and after the direction Prey at Night took, I just expected... more. This was very much a paint-by-numbers horror movie, and it really did come off as a weak copy of the first film. The fact that Maya survives was.. something different. But now it means we'll be following her through the next film. I find this more worrying than interesting, because it may mean there's going to be some contrived revenge plot, when really I want to see more of the killers, and I want to see them get killed.
There are just few things more frustrating than a film series providing more questions and no answers, all in the name of cranking out more of them. All we know - all we can suppose - is that there are three new people wearing these masks. That's all. And for the third film in a franchise - whether it's starting its own story arc or not - that's not good enough for me.

I'm taking an Interest Profiler, and it occurs to me that it'll be great if I can experience a job position without actually getting one, to be more sure about whether it'll be a fit.
I have impression of some game that simulate a software developer's position to solve all kinds of bugs and programming tasks, but forgot the name.
Are there other similar apps? I know games like Sims 4 or flight simulator, but I'm looking for projects that simulates as much real chores in a position as possible, and in order to achieve that, allow content creation like adding all kinds of real-life events. Text-based is even better.
For example, say there's an app simulating a small business owner, one can add an event that computer breaks down and all the customer contacts got lost.
Or an app simulating a plumber, and one can add an event that after replacing the joint the faucet stops working, and the player can either choose to continue investigating or give up and resulted in a bad review.

I have been dating somebody for about three months. During those three months, we’ve spent a great deal of time together. I would consider this the equivalent of a six or nine month relationship based on how long we have spent together during these three months
Prior to meeting me, my boyfriend got out of a one and a half half year on an off relationship about five months prior to us starting to date. He explained this relationship has been very toxic. The woman he was dating was actually married and had a husband. Ultimately, she chose to stay with her husband.
My boyfriend who dated her, seems to keep the door open to her coming back in. For example, he went through a lot of heartache from that relationship and to me, I let him know that I needed him to close the door on that if we are to continue otherwise he can’t give this relationship his all. He proceeded to block her on one social media Platform. I found out from him telling me that last week she messaged him. I asked to see the messages, but he apparently deleted them, which doesn’t make any sense to me. He said that she asked him to delete the pictures of her and the videos of her that he had taken during the time that they were together. Again, there is no evidence of this conversation because he said that he deleted the messages, which doesn’t make any sense either because he never deletes messages.
He has compared me to her many times. We are the same, we have similar traits, and so forth, but I am sick and tired of being compared to this person. He has mentioned that I am like her clone, but better looking and more attractive, and I check more of the boxes than she did. However, I don’t think this is healthy. Part of me thinks he is trying to triangulate, which is a narcissistic tactic. Again, I personally don’t have the best look in relationships either. I’ve had a few toxic ones and a very healthy relationship as well. Part of me wonders, however if he is trying to make me jealous or make it seem like he is in demand to get me to be really interested in him. I am really not sure what to think but this is causing me a lot of stress. I am sick of this person, messaging him and coming back into his life. When he blocked her previously, he said he would never talk to her again, and he also told her never to message him. Here we are two months later, she reaches out, he responds and deletes the whole conversation.
I am if somebody can give me some perspective. What’s going on. I don’t really have anyone to talk to. Thank you.

Hi, I'm gonna give some feedback on my wargames experience. I know this is a big part of the long term homeworld strategy, so I hope the feedback is helpful. I am NOT going to talk about fleet v fleet or campaign at all, if anything applies to those modes, it is incidental and not intended as the focus of my feedback.
Setting / Map
So I feel that the map selection is incredibly limited. The fact is it feels like there are maybe 3 different possible maps for every stage, and that just doesn't feel great. Very repetitive.
Just more variety is needed here.
Spawns
I think the Incursion spawns are terrible. It is a war of attrition and it just feels like running a sprint every time and doesn't feel like anything we do ever creates a calm experience. I think challenge is an interesting concept, which I think Blizzard did well in Starcraft 2 co-op, by having difficulties (AI gets smarter, more capable), and eventually mutators (the difficulty remains, which is basically fairly straightforward once you get used to it, and now mutators make you play differently).
The constant nonestop onslaught is okay at first, but stops being fun quickly.
Artifacts and Fleets
I put both of these together because I think the two are heavily woven in.
I think the artifact system is interesting but _too_ random. The fact is that I may want to try out say a bomber build with the bomber fleet, with a focus on tank frigates and high damage bombers, or all assault frigates, etc. The problem is the artifacts are so random, sometimes I just get a fun combo of nonestop recon buffs and nothing useful. It just doesn't feel good.
And on that note, the ship comps are very weird given limited resources. For example a comp of 6 assault frigs + 2 support frigs is FAR more hitpoints and damage, than 3 times that cost in interceptors. A frigate at 20% hp that can heal is 0 money lost. 5 interceptors where 4 died is 4/5 of the cost destroyed and unrepairable. I like the Homeworld 2 version where fighters have squads, and as long as the squad is still alive, it can be reinforced. It solved that problem better than homeworld 1's style of individual fighters did. And for a mode where resources are very scarce, this is critical.
Frigates have the added bonuses of if you cap a frigate, you get another free frigate. Good luck capping fighters / corvettes.
So this all leads to very weird situations:

• recon ships are a waste of cash as they'll die and you lose too much cash
• interceptors are the same
• bombers are a specific strategy where if you get lucky on RNGesus roles, you can stealth bomb insta pop destroyers and frigates, and hope not too much cash is lost per run.
• optimal strategies seem to revolve around basically death-balling assault frigates and getting the right random artifacts.
• most of the time, we can't really "fight" and instead have to objective dunk.

What i'd like to see

• Get rid of incursions, and replace them with occasional carrier warp-ins. We can now destroy them and create breathing room to repair, rearm, etc.
• Allow us to sabotage the enemy's resources to significantly reduce their ability to reinforce. That way its not just an infinite wave of enemies.
• Make capturing count towards the unit count max. This will at least limit frigates a bit.
• Make artifacts semi-random. Or at least let us choose at least paths we want to focus on. My argument would be to eliminate randomness and let us just choose a "tech tree" that we buy via artifacts. This will create a wonderful progression. The fact that its not random isn't a bad thing.
• Add randomness in the form of mutators. For example every difficulty level will add some:

enemy carriers spawn more units, enemy units cost less, double carriers, enemy assault frigates lob miniature giant space hamsters at you, etc. These can all be interesting random changes that become addons as the missions progress to make the game more challenging, while also not taking away our agency in our ability to execute on strategies with our faction.

• Change up fighters / corvettes to be groups, that way we can micromanage groups retreating and repairing vs just losing cash immediately. I want to see fighters and corvettes changed so that we don't just waste cash on them. This will lead to far more varied tactics. Edit: Just imagine fighters total count is divided by 5, and you build 1 squad of 5 fighters for the appropriate cost. Now only 1 icon to manage, way easier on the selection management side, easier to micromanage, and a far more efficient use of your resources.
• With that, make the ships sleected work similarly to how starcraft selects large numbers of units (small colored icons, etc). So we can still micromanage as needed. The "select damaged" is a good feature, but often hard to manage given that I can issue a dock order, but now I need to order other units and don't have an easy way to do it. The entire selection system needs some very serious re-work to be a good game control scheme requiring micro managing. At a MINIMUM "select damaged" and "select undamaged" would be very useful.
• I think some game design from you guys is needed on how to change the game from a DPS race, to positional gameplay, even to some extent. That way "the blob" isn't the optimal strategy.

Closing thoughts
I see the community is very small and not really growing that rapidly. I hope to see wargames changed to a point where everyone will be excited to jump in on it. Finding it hard to find people to play with even among HW enthusiasts.
I haven't even unlocked all the fleets for war games and I'm kinda done with it. Looking at the year 1 pack... I don't even have enthusiasm for buying it because... I just don't play enough to justify spending extra.

I'm working on synthesizing carbon quantum dots (CQDs). Before heating the reaction mixture for 3 hours at 100 °C, i sonicate the mixture. But, I've come across some conflicting information about the optimal temperature for the sonication step.
Some sources say the sonication should be done at around 100°C, while others recommend 40°C as the best temperature. I've also seen recommendations to just do the sonication at room temperature.
I'm not sure which temperature is truly ideal for this step. Additionally, I'm unsure about how to properly transition the sample from the sonication bath to the subsequent water bath heating step. Should I directly transfer the sample from the sonicator (room T, for example) into a 100°C water bath? Or should I pre-heat the sample first?
Can anyone provide some guidance on the optimal sonication temperature for CQDs synthesis? And what is the best way to move the sample to the next heating step? I want to make sure I'm following the right protocol to get good quality CQDs.
I'm not an expert in this area, so apologies if any of my questions seem silly. Any insights would be greatly appreciated! Let me know if you need any other details about the synthesis.
Thank you in advance for your help!

For me, it's:
Year Negative Four

• J'onn J'onzz is accidentally teleported to Earth by Dr. Saul Erdel. He disguises himself as police detective John Jones, using his powers in secret, but never revealing his Martian identity to anyone.

Year Negative Two

• After years of exploring the world, Arthur Curry discovers Atlantis and is imprisoned by its current rulership for three years.

Year One

• Clark Kent debuts as Superman in Metropolis (he was never Superboy)
  • Other than Luthor, Gerald Shugel, Prankster, and Bizarro, Superman's first year is mostly spent intervening in ordinary crimes and crises, as not a lot of supervillains have come out of the woodwork yet.
  • By the end of the year, Clark learns of his Kryptonian heritage.
• Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after training abroad and begins operating as the Batman.
  • Batman has his first encounters with Catwoman, Hugo Strange, the Mad Monk, and Dr. Death. Other than this, Batman is mostly fighting street and organized crime.
  • The Bat-Signal is established by the end of the year.
• Diana leaves Themyscira and begins operating as Wonder Woman.
  • Wonder Woman is mostly working to stop Aries' plot, but she also encounters Paula von Gunther, Angle Man, Dr. Poison, and The Cheetah (Priscilla Rich).
• Hal Jordan encounters Abin Sur and becomes the Green Lantern of Sector 2814.
  • Jordan first encounters Hector Hammond and Legion.
  • Sinestro begins mentoring Hal.
• Barry Allen becomes The Flash.
• Oliver Queen returns to Star City and becomes Green Arrow.

Year Two

• Arthur Curry escapes prison and makes his public debut as Aquaman.
• The wizard Shazam appoints Billy Batson to be Captain Marvel.
• Superman first encounters kryptonite, The Parasite, Metallo, Toyman, and Mister Mxyzptlk.
  • Superman and Batman first meet.
  • Superman later has his first encounters with other superheroes, teaming up with them when their paths cross.
• Batman first encounters The Joker, The Scarecrow, The Penguin, The Riddler, Poison Ivy, and Killer Croc.
  • The Holiday murders begin.
  • Batman wrestles with a venom addiction before kicking it.
  • By the end of the year, the Falcone and Maroni gangs are mostly dismantled, and Harvey Dent becomes Two-Face.
• Wonder Woman first encounters Dr. Psycho, Circe, Giganta, and The Cheetah (Barbara Minerva).
• Hal encounters the Puppeteer, Sonar, Black Hand, Evil Star, and the Invisible Destroyer.
  • Sinestro is stripped of his ring and exiled after it is revealed that he is misusing his power to rule Korugar.

Year Three

• Superman first encounters Brainiac, whom he stops from bottling Metropolis.
  • Superman first encounters General Zod and his confederates when they escape from the Phantom Zone.
  • Superman has his first encounters with the machinations of Darkseid, as Intergang begins using mysteriously advanced weaponry and emissaries of Darkseid begin to attack Project Cadmus.
    • Orion and the Forever People come to Earth to work against Darkseid.
    • Superman first encounters a Boom Tube and visits SuperTown, where he meets Lightray and other new Gods for the first time.
• Batman first encounters Mr. Freeze, Clayface, and the Mad Hatter.
  • Batman first encounters Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Deadshot, and Man-Bat.
  • Bruce Wayne adopts Dick Grayson, who starts operating as Robin.
• Roy Harper becomes Speedy.
• Guy Gardner is appointed as a back-up Green Lantern.
• Alec Holland becomes the Swamp Thing.

Year Four

• Wally West becomes Kid Flash.
• Kara Zor-El lands on Earth and becomes Supergirl.
• J'onn J'onzz unites Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and Aquaman to fend off a White Martian invasion. They temporarily operate out of a satellite Batcave in Rhode Island and form The Justice League.
  • No longer keeping his presence hidden, J'onn J'onzz starts operating publicly as "Martian Manhunter" at the encouragement of his teammates.
  • The League builds the Hall of Justice in Washington, D.C., which becomes their stable base of operations.
  • The League later encounters Starro, Kanjar-Ro, Doctor Destiny, the Royal Flush Gang, and other villains.
  • Green Arrow becomes the first League recruit and helps Bruce Wayne finance the Watchtower Satellite.
  • Zatanna discovers her magical powers and enlists various superheroes to help her find her father, reconnecting with Bruce Wayne in the process.
  • The League later recruits Black Lightning, Zatanna, Black Canary, The Atom, Hawkwoman, and Hawkman.
• Aquaman takes the throne as ruler of Atlantis.
  • Garth becomes Aqualad.
• Barbara Gordon becomes Batgirl.
• Jack Ryder becomes The Creeper and Boston Brand becomes Deadman.
• Superman first meets Darkseid face-to-face.
  • Superman encounters Mongul and War World.
  • Morgan Edge's WGBS buys out the Daily Planet.

Year Five

• Aquaman meets Mera.
• The League recruits Elongated Man, Red Tornado, Metamorpho, and Firestorm.
• Robin, Speedy, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash form the Teen Titans.
• Oliver Queen loses his fortune, grows the goatee, and redesigns his costume from the Silver Age green-and-red suit to the Neal Adams suit.
• Batman first encounters Ra's al Ghul.
• Roman Sionis becomes Black Mask.
• Helena Bertinelli becomes The Huntress.

Year Six

• Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen go their road trip across the U.S., going from being mere colleagues to friends.
  • John Stewart is inducted as a Green Lantern.
• Nathaniel Adams returns and General Eilling starts Project Atom, blackmailing Adams to work as a government asset while posing as Captain Atom.

Year Seven

• Dick Grayson starts attending Hudson University, meaning that he and Batman begin to work together less frequently, though they still keep in touch and team up when Dick is on holidays.
  • Bruce Wayne moves from Wayne Manor to his downtown Penthouse.
• Raven unites Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire to form a new version of the Teen Titans.

Year Eight

• Dick Grayson becomes Nightwing.
• Jason Todd becomes Robin.
• Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman visit Superman to celebrate his birthday, only to find that he has been captured by Mongul.
• Barry Allen dies saving the universe from the Anti-Monitor.
  • Wally West becomes The Flash.
• Power Girl from Earth-2 becomes stranded on Earth-0.
• Amanda Waller launches Task Force X.
• While the original Justice League is on hiatus, the U.N. forms the Justice League International.
• Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters stuff starts happening now.
• Swamp Thing, Constantine, Etrigan the Demon, and the Phantom Stranger team up to fight the Great Darkness.

Year Nine

• Deacon Blackfire's cult takes over Gotham, but he is stopped by Batman and Robin.
• Jason Todd is killed by The Joker.
• Barbara Gordon is paralyzed by The Joker.

Year Ten

• Anarky debuts.
• Tim Drake assumes the mantle of Robin.
• Virgil Hawkins becomes Static.

After the first decade or so, time starts being more amorphous and operating on some cross between a timeline that develops and a stationary Simpsons-like timeline where time doesn't really move. Some things progress, some things don't, everything is kept vague, and characters don't notice or call attention to this. Essentially, large amounts of time are zipped into small amounts of time, and both the longer and shorter time intervals between events are "correct" depending on how much we're zooming in on the timeline. For example, Kyle Rayner had a good number of years as a solo Green Lantern and Tim Drake was Robin for a solid amount of time before Hal Jordan returned and Damian Wayne showed up, but somehow, superheroes in general have only been operating for about 10 to 15 years, max. This is really the only way you can keep Batman perpetually in his 30s or 40s without having weird consequences like each Robin only holding the title for a year before he gets a new one.
So after this, I stop having specific "years" and it becomes more like "periods of time in which certain things co-occur." So there might be considerable time intervals between events, yet those events might also paradoxically be squished into some 10-15-year timeline.
The Fall of Heroes Era

• The Death and Return of Superman happen.
  • Superboy and Steel debut.
• Bane debuts and Knightfall happens.
• Diana is replaced by Artemis as Wonder Woman.
• Shortly after Clark and Bruce return, Hal becomes the Parallax.
  • Kyle Rayner becomes Earth's Green Lantern.
• Oliver Queen dies.
  • Connor Hawke becomes Green Arrow.

The Reconstruction Era

• Clark Kent and Lois Lane get married.
• Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Rayner), The Flash (West), Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter reform the Justice League.
  • Electric Superman Blue never happened, lol.
• Robin, Superboy, and Impulse form Young Justice.
• Cataclysm, Contagion, and No Man's Land happen (sorry for having so much destruction during the reconstruction era)
• Cassandra Cain becomes Batgirl.

The Millennium Era

• Obviously didn't happen around the turn of the millennium anymore because floating timeline.
• Our Worlds at War and Bruce Wayne: MurdereFugitive happen around here.
• Oliver Queen returns from the dead.

The Infinite Crisis Era

• Hal Jordan and the GLC return.
• Infinite Crisis, 52, and OYL happen.

The Final Crisis Era

• The War of Light (Sinestro Corps War through Blackest Night) stuff happens.
• The Black Glove/Leviathan Saga (Batman & Son through Batman Incorporated) stuff happens.
  • Bruce meets Damian Wayne.
• The New Krypton stuff happens.
• Katherine Kane becomes Batwoman.

There are things I'm on the fence on, such as whether the Golden Age heroes are part of this timeline. On the one hand, I like the idea of Superman being the world's very first superhero and the public never having had encountered anything fantastical until his debut. If the JSA existed before him, then his debut would be met with "hey look, I guess flying men are back" instead of "can you BELIEVE a man can fly?!" Batman's debut also seems more striking if Gotham was never patrolled by a Green Lantern (that guy probably would have single-handedly demolished Gotham's mob in the '40s instead of letting it grow to the size it would later become).
On the other hand, I wouldn't want to jettison the cool relationships that exist between the Golden Age and later characters, like Kyle Rayner knowing Jade. I think I lean toward "keep them on Earth-2, but allow them to have regular meetings and friendships with the Earth-0 guys." But if the walls between universes are that porous, that just raises the question of why Power Girl got stuck on Earth-0 when the rest of the Earth-2 people can go home whenever they want.

https://www.academia.edu/119773754
Greek had many adj. in -imos and only a few in -oimos. This suggests that some o-stem nouns formed adj. in *-o-imos, but that this type was short-lived, leaving only a few remnants. This seems shown by doublets :
​
*ku(H)d- ‘(loud/joyous) sound’ ? >
kûdos- ‘renown / glory’, kū́dimos ‘*renowned > epithet of Hermes’
kudázō ‘insult’, kudoimós ‘din of battle / uproar’
​
and the late and secondary nature of some (after *-tm- > *-dm-) :
​
*Halut-mn ‘bitter drink’ > L. alūmen ‘alum’, G. aludmaínō ‘make bitter’, alúdoimos ‘bitter’
*Halut() > ON öl ‘beer’, OE ealu(ð), E. ale, Arm. awłi ‘(strong) alcohol’ >> Geo. (a)ludi ‘beer’, Os. älyton ‘magic beer in stories’
​
​
With this in mind, Greek hetoîmos ‘at hand / ready / imminent / active / zealous’ probably came from a late derivation from *hetós ‘activity / zeal’ (or similar) with retained accent. No etymology with -mos added to an unknown *hetoi- makes sense (see summary in Dieu), so this seems needed. Since ‘ready’ can refer to both things and people, with slightly different meaning, knowing which one it originally came from would certainly help. I proposed ‘activity / zeal’ to match :
​
*yet- > Skt. yatná- ‘zeal / effort / aspiring after / volition’, yatúna- ‘restless / active’, yátate ‘place in order / join / meet / seek / strive / try / exert oneself, TA yatatär ‘is capable of / can (be)’, TB yoto-
​
This is the best possible match to explain all data. PIE *y seems to become h or z in Greek, no clear conditions (Whalen 2024a). This even goes back to LB e-pi-ju-ko ‘item or material used in building’, matched G. epizugís ‘kind of iron pin’ used of tiles) and likely Linear A au-ta-de-po-ni-za as the fem. of Greek autodespótēs ‘absolute master’ (the fem. of *potis is *potniya > pótnia, so this would show optional internal *y > dz in a location where sandhi or *Hy- vs. *y- could not work).
​
​
Since all data favors *-e- (G. -e-, Skt. -a-) not *-o- (Skt. **-ā-), the Tocharian evidence needs explanation. Adams says *yot-o- is needed for TA yata-, but this would not give TB yoto-. An o-grade in a verb, especially when it otherwise would exactly match Skt. yátate, seems unlikely. Since it is PToch. *e that gave TA a, this seems like *ye- preserving *e (that normally would > *yä, so possibly prevented from creating *yyä). This would also fit with other optional outcomes of *yä / *ye (likely from *yE), etc., of clear origin :
​
*sindhu- > MP hyndwg, *hinduka- >> *yäntuke > *yE- > TB yentuke
​
*ukso:n > *wäkso:n > *wäkso:n / *wOkso:n > TB okso
​
*H2anH1-tmHo- ? >> *ana-lmö > *OnO-lme > *(w)O- / *wu- > TB onolme \ wnolme ‘creature / living being / person’
​
Adams also gives 2 words with *sup- > sop- or sp-, showing the same alternation, though he doesn’t discuss it.
​
​
Since PToch. *e can become *o near *w, even when not touching (*swäle > TA ṣul, TB ṣale = mountain/hill, *en-swäle > oṣṣale ‘north’), and -w- is a common affix in verbs, this allows :
​
PIE *yetewotor ‘he moves / strives’ > PToch. *yetyäwetär > *yetäwyetär > TA *yetäyetär > *yetetär (y-dissim.) > yatatär ‘is capable of / can (be)’, TB *yetäwetär > *yotwotär > yoto-
​
​
I do not feel that reconstructing *o to explain *e when *e > *e is possible in the specific *ye > *ye makes any sense, yet linguists continue making these mistakes. Instead of thinking about whether the context or environment allows a simple sound change, they stick to changes already known, and mechanically reconstruct a single sound, no matter how unfitting it may be. Many similar cases exist; just for V1 > V1 being overlooked, consider how in most Indo-European, the word for ‘grandfather’ comes from *H2awo- and ‘grandmother’ from a related form in *-iH2 or *-yaH2 (Whalen 2023a) :
​
Arm. hav, L. avus ‘grandfather’
​
Go. awó, L. avia ‘grandmother’
​
Old Norse words, however, show 2 different oddities in related words:
​
*avon- > afi ‘grandfather’
​
*a:won- > ái ‘great-grandfather’
​
Though linguists like Jay Jasanoff have explained ái as coming from Indo-European *H2e:(H2)wo- as a vrddhi derivative of *H2a(H2)wo- there is no evidence for lengthened grade in PIE. Supposed examples are most often found in Indo-Iranian, where *o > *ā was common. It is unlikely these 2 features would cluster in one area if both were real. Other examples of PIE *ē in Tocharian (most by Adams) ignore that, again, *ē and *o merged there. Even the 2nd H2 Jasanoff believes in seems better explained by optional *w > *xW in Anatolian (found in other words and positons, partly seen by Kümmel, Whalen 2024b). It is unlikely PIE had a word for ‘great-grandfather’ at all, or at least not a single word. The cause of this change for *avon- / *a:won- is probably optional metathesis *H2awo- / *aH2wo-. This new *H2 was deleted afterwards, creating new *a: separate from *a: > PGmc. *o: or *e: > *æ: . An optional *H2w > *v might explain *avon- > afi ‘grandfather’ as well (2 variants creating 2 very similar words is more likely than them coming to look the same by chance instead).
​
This metathesis is also seen in *H2aw- > Old Latin ahvidies ‘offering to the gods’, Skt. ávati ‘promote/favosatisfy / offer to the gods / be pleased’; *Hravo- \ *raHvo- > L. ravus \ rāvus ‘hoarse’, Skt. rāva-s ‘cry/shriek/roayell / any noise’, A. rHoó ‘song’ (Whalen 2023b). There is also no methodological reason to create intermediate a >> e: > a: instead of a > a: more directly. Since some type of H-metathesis is already needed for roots with *-aiH- vs. *-aHy-, etc., ignoring the same when ahv- is literally spelled out for them makes no sense. The same is reconstructed by others for an explanation of the Li. tone in *H2awso-m > L. aurum ‘gold’, *aH2wso-m > Li. áuksas. Since *H2aw- > *aH2w- is exactly the same environment in both, its existence should not be doubted by those linguists, at least.
​
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Dieu, Eric (2018) Grec ἑτοῖμος / ἕτοιμος “qui est sous la main, prêt, disponible”, hitt. zē(y)a- “cuire (intr.) ; être cuit, être prêt”, zinni- “finir, en finir avec, venir à bout de” : du “tout cuit” étymologique ?
https://www.academia.edu/39436453
​
Kümmel, Martin Joachim (2014) The conditioning for secondary h in Hittite
https://www.academia.edu/959610
​
Whalen, Sean (2023a) Indo-European word for ‘grandfather’
https://www.reddit.com/IndoEuropean/comments/13fwrn0/indoeuropean_word_for_grandfathe
​
Whalen, Sean (2023b) Latin cūria, Volscian covehriu ‘assembly’
https://www.reddit.com/usestlatos/comments/14p1ji1/latin_c%C5%ABria_volscian_covehriu_assembly/
​
Whalen, Sean (2024a) Cretan Elements in Linear B, Part Two: *y > z, *o > u, LB *129, LAB *65, Minoan Names (Draft)
https://www.academia.edu/114878588
​
Whalen, Sean (2024b) Greek Consonant Changes: Stops and Fricatives in Contact (Draft)
https://www.academia.edu/114138414
​

Hello folks, I'm 26 years old, and I live in Belo Horizonte, a really cool city to live in. My life, in general, has been peaceful. I'm a guy who can be both introverted and extroverted; it depends on the context and how familiar I am with the people around me. I enjoy going out for pizza, visiting amusement parks, going to the movies, and strolling around the neighborhood. But I also like to make the most of my time at home, studying languages, binge-watching TV series, hosting friends, discovering new bands on Spotify—a normal life. I work remotely, so I indeed spend most of my time at home. I'm considering the possibility of doing a language exchange abroad; I haven't decided on the destination yet, maybe Korea, maybe Japan—those are my main options. I won't lie, I'm quite eclectic when it comes to things that catch my attention. For example, I love meeting new people and talking about a wide variety of topics as if we had all the time in the world. Seriously! I'm an open book, and I'm also a great listener. If there's an area you're an expert in or something that sparks your curiosity to the point of excitement, I'd love to feel your enthusiasm as you talk about it. I also like to follow sports, watch cooking shows, and stay up-to-date with new technological advances, all that stuff. With me, you can have casual conversations about weekly events, memes, fun facts, or even deeper discussions about life, philosophy, venting, frustrations, dreams, long-term projects, etc.
I'm a talkative guy, so what I'm looking for in a penpal is mainly someone who is also communicative and truly open to getting to know me, and allowing me to get to know them as well. I want a penpal who is willing to share life experiences, teach me about their country, their language, someone who wants to laugh with me and also grow together with me. I'm looking for someone with whom I can indeed build a beautiful, unique, and special connection. More than a penpal, I seek a lifelong friend.
PS: Don't be shy; I'm an easygoing person. If you liked this announcement, write to me, tell me a little about your life, what caught your attention in this announcement, what things you noticed we have in common, and... Feel free to share whatever you wish. I'm always open to new tunes.
PS²: If you're over 18, that's great. I don't mind if you're 18 or 60+, I'm looking for friends, and you will be equally welcome.
PS³: I don't know from which country or city you are... Maybe you're from a country I've read a lot about, maybe you're from a country I can't even point out on a map. But that's precisely what makes having a "penpal" so amazing. Having a penpal is the opportunity to meet incredible people we would never meet in our daily lives. So, no matter your country of origin or residence, write to me; we can learn a lot from each other.
Thank you for reading this far, have a great day.

When theorising in astrophysics, and more specifically the beginning and expansion of the universe (the big bang), the phenomenon of black holes and the mysteries behind dark matter and dark energy, we mistakenly use the two concepts interchangeably, they being 1. The philosophical zero, ie nothingness, and 2. The mathematics concept of zero, ie summarily attaching the philosophical concept of zero, with a numerical designation because it greatly assists the functionality of mathematic in the paradigm of our observable reality. Also please bearing mind the the math concept of zero allows negative values, unlike the philosophy, and when discussing space time, there is no place for negative numbers. Now that said and made clear, I believe it impossible for us to attempt to explain the unimaginable, without separation and distinction of the two concepts when infinity is brought into the conversation. Infinity, like zero, is a philosophical concept not all that dissimilar to zero, it has a mathematical conceptual basis also, but unlike the philosophical zero ie nothingness, it is given a numerical designation that more accurately relates to it philosophically, even though it is not strictly a number and cannot he used in any tangible calculation, mathematics certainly allows for its philosophical manifestation into mathematical equations.
I see this as a huge conflict, especially as it the very essence of big bang theory ie from nothing came infinity at the moment of the big bang. We surely cannot hope to solve this puzzle if the universe if we are conceptually flawed at he very starting point. 0 and infinity therefore cannot be used together in any calculation because we haven't yet reconciled the two conceptually. How can we look at this differently? How can we navigate passed mathematical dogma a concepts our brains are not capable of truly understanding on a practical level?
These are very tough existential and philosophical problems. So rather than just critise the current order and point out what I see as conflicts, but offer no alternative, may I suggest at least a starting point for discussion and exploration which may be found in the area of fractal science/mathematics. And a good place to focus the beginning of any theoretical discourse, in my opinion would be the work of, amoung others, Mandelbrot and the set named after him, the Mandelbrot Set. I suggest this because it mathematically the most relevant area of a field and is largely avoided by the popular culture's interest in fractals which is largely forcused on aesthetical beauty, particularly popular with the psychedelic subculture which I believe has a place and time to be investigated as a part of the whole discussion, but maybe for now should not be a point of focus in fear of contaminating a sterile discussion with with larger philosophically arguments about what is reality, due to the psychedelic substance insights of those schools. To incorporate any talk of altered states of consciousness, may be counter productive at this time. Hence my Mandelbrot suggestion achieves the mathematical parameters I believe are the best for theoretical mathematical support and cancels out the annoying noise that the fractal science field makes due to its attractiveness to non mainstream pop culture.
The Mandelbrot set is intriguing, not only because of the almost mindblowing graphical capability of AI, for as the Mandelbrot set seen by AI and then visualised for us to see, is nothing short of unbelievably beautiful. It also has an ability to provoke inner hought and discourse without one knowing the subject, topic or reason for the quiet peaceful internal discourse it inspires. I mention this, not because it can directly be incorporated in the radical discussion, but experiencing the astonishlng complexity if its beauty and the way it continues infinitely (or rather as long as it continues to be observed) because if the very self contained nature of the Mandelbrot set. After all, the mandelbrit set is simply a set of numbers, that when placed in the equation, do not spiral out into infinity. The equation value is always >0 or <2. So what as I see as irony, as the set was designed to avoid infinity in a sense, what it actually does is provide us with the best possible conceptualisation, in practice and theory, of a model demonstrating infinity. Even more bizarre is that the technology had only recently become available to show us visually by AI graphing. I'm not sure without the visual stimulus, could we have seen how beautifully fractal science demonstrates its potential unravelling existential and theoretical mysteries. I believe it lends itself perfectly to my proposed theory.
I think so because infinity is difficult for the human mind to grasp, some may say impossible. What is even more difficult for our minds to grasp is infinity of reducted values. Basically, if infinity can exist in an expanding sense, then it is not a stretch of conceptualisation to think it can infinitely get smaller. This breaks no rules of science. Searching for the building block of the universe has been crusade of quantum physicists dating back to the creation of the scientific theory. Much money and effort has been spent in search for smaller and smaller still subatomic particles. What they do is fractal science in its purest form, yet like with the study of Theoretical Astrophysics, quantum science theory is its self hampered by the concept if zero as a number, in my opinion. Even doing the work of factually reducing matter, they are blinded to its possible futility, should fractal reduction does forever decend in to fractal infinity or -ve infinity. For if that is the case, maybe quantum theory is in fact mankind's first exploration, albeit unknowingly, into what may well be a black hole. That is for a later discussion but certainly worth bringing to the attention for the purposes of this discussion.
So if we can accept that -ve infinity is as equally viable and logical as +ve infinity, what room in this discussion is left for the inclusion of zero? 1/r = 1/0 = infinity is a useless equation in understanding black holes. To say 1/r approaches infinity as r becomes closer to 0, is a much better way of phrasing it. It is in essence exactly what I refer to +be and -ve infinity and immensely helpful in understanding black holes, there's no equation that mathematics can put forward it's anywhere near as helpful because mathematics has to use zero and by its own rules and attempt to explain a fractal infinity is undefined.
I believe this leaves no room for zero in the same conversation as infinity. I am not suggesting zero should be stricken from mathematics. However I am suggesting that mathematics use of zero may, invalidate is ongoing use as an effective tool for measurement and communication, when the subject is beyond our ability to comprehend. Few people will argue that our 6 senses are significantly lacking the capacity to comprehend cosmological dynamics. Mathematics nothing more than an application of our 6 senses, to make sense of the chaos occurring all around us. Over hundreds and thousands of years, this is the best we have been able to do in terms of calculation and accurate prediction of future occurances. Even the concept of zero is less than 1000 years old. The Romans saw no use in incorporating it into their model, and to this day we wonder at their and other ancient civilisations ability for astonishing accuracy in measurement and prediction. Look at all they, the Egyptians and others managed without using zero in a single calculation. We can also break this down out of our conscious paradigm into nature. Numbers do not exist in nature (that includes the universe). It begs the question of do numbers really exist? Are numbers no more than part of our delusional reality? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, zero certainly doesn't exist anywhere outside of our consciousness. Not even in our own very bodies. How bodies clearly hold a knowledge that hasn't seemed to be passed over to our conscious, aware selves. Even on the smallest scale, without any intervention or guidance from any sort of intelligence, within our cellular membranes. Complex calculations are constantly being carried out. Consider cellular replication for example. In order for a cell to divide successfully, there must be a correct allocation of resources, let's just say primarily energy distribution for the sake of brevity. To split a cell but calculate the energy necessary to simply cary put the force of splitting. It must also calculate how much energy needs to be transfered to the new cell. This calculation must include how much energy for it take to replicate all cellular matter, how much energy is required for both cells to recover from the trauma, and how much energy on top of that, the new cell will require to become mature and begin its own replication. There are multiple complex calculations to be made there, and they then must be combined in to an overall and more complicated calculation again. All of this is done without intelligence and without using numbers ie mathematics. This same process can be observed all the way back to the very first beginning of not just life, but biochemistry in general. So I hope this demonstrates that the universe doesn't exist numerically. There are no rules in the universe. We created rules for our sciences, because if we didn't follow them the sciences would fail at unacceptable percentage of predictions.
So we make rules to overcome the shortcomings while waiting for future technologies or fixes. Mathematics and sciences are little more than a carefully ordered tapestry of rules, with too many exeptions for too many rules. We create rules and ideas to assist the conteived & malfunctioning intangible thing to not have to go to all the trouble of finding something that works better. We are just littered with examples through every field. Like 'zero', or Pi, or "bimdas" (brackets, indicies, multiply, division, addition and subtraction. I find this a good example, for not following this exact order of calculations, a correct answer to equation will nev a result) and thousands of others.
No rules exist in nature, it appears to be that it just is, always will be and always has been.
So in summary, given our restrictions on trying to understand the universe, namely intelligence, our 6 limited senses, our arrogance and our mortality, should we narrow the pursuits our restrictions can make us comfortable with? Thisbwilk lead us nowhere. By abandoning zero as the only accepted scientific approach to the universe, and allowing science to have multiple validating throeries for what is the same problem. The scientific community abhors divergence from dogma and academics are held to ransom with funding or being published, if their ideas are not with acceptable parameters.
But for the sake of this conversation, can we discuss the merits of looking at the big bang without reference to nothing ie zero, but instead +ve and -ve infinity.

One of the biggest frustrations I see people having in this group is with the YouTube Algorithm. They are 110% certain that they aren’t getting any views because the algorithm is broken. Instead of spending time improving their content, they spend most of their time, trying to prove to themselves and everyone else – “The YouTube Algorithm is broken and not working as it should”. Or the classic – “The YouTube algorithm only pushes content from big YouTube Channels”.
Today I wanted to share with you what I’ve learned about the infamous and evil “Algorithm” and how it applies to your YouTube channel. Hopefully it helps give you clarity on the YouTube Algorithm and reframes your thinking when it comes to building a successful YouTube channel. I also hope it helps reduce the frustration and the burn out you may feel because your channel isn’t where you want it to be.
The YouTube Algorithm is an AI-powered recommendation system, which is designed to put the BEST and most engaging content in front of viewers on YouTube. It does this by analyzing large amounts of data that tracks the preferences and habits of viewers. The cool and frustrating thing about the algorithm is that it changes over time. For example, the algorithm used to favor subscriber counts, but it has recently shifted and prioritizes views. I am sure there are other tweaks and shifts that happen often, but this was the most noticeable change.
Here is where it gets frustrating, most new content creators are misled by random bits of information from “YouTube Experts” about how the algorithm works. And when their videos flop on YouTube, the only reason they can come up with is – “The Algorithm is not working correctly.”
The truth is, in order to understand how the algorithm works, you first have to accept one simple fact. An algorithm will always work in favor of a company’s policies, values and mission statement.
Now that we know this, let’s dive a little deeper. YouTube’s approach prioritizes the 4-Rs

1. REMOVE content that violates its polices.
2. REDUCE false news.
3. RAISE UP authoritative sources for news and information.
4. REWARD trusted creators.

In their creator videos, YouTube says – “YouTube’s recommendation system actually finds videos for viewers, rather than finding viewers for videos” - Put simply, YouTube prioritizes the VIEWER – not the CREATOR! Let me say it another way just for emphasis – Viewers want to see videos THEY WANT TO WATCH, not the videos YOU WANT TO MAKE.
Although the algorithm takes into account several factors when recommending content, it can be split into two main categories
• Viewer Personalization – This includes data about what videos users watch and which ones they ignore.
• Viewer Satisfaction – This measures the performance of a video based on metrics like longer watch time, video shares, likes, comments, subscribes and watch history.
Reading the comments and posts, it seems a lot of people don’t take into consideration the fact that; “The Algorithm” is a term that reflects the behavior and viewing habits of YOUR audience. It’s not some robot deciding if it should show your video to other people or not. It is also very important to remember, because YOUR audience loves YOUR videos, it doesn’t mean other people will.
How to win with the algorithm audience on YouTube.
1). Make the tough decision on how you want to use the YouTube Platform. It doesn’t matter what you decide to do, just always keep in mind each decision has different outcomes, and success is not guaranteed.
a. Do you view YouTube as a place to share your life/experiences and videos on YouTube. This is fine, but you need to remember all art, isn’t fine art. If your art isn’t appealing to the masses, you may get frustrated and burnt-out creating content for people who aren’t interested.
b. Do you view YouTube as a business and an opportunity to make money. This is also fine, but at this point you become a “contracted” employee of YouTube, and it is your responsibility to make sure you adopt their business model and align your content with YouTube’s expectations – Do this and you are more likely to succeed.
2). Understand the metrics and how/where YouTube places your content.
A. YouTube Search – YouTube is a search engine, and it prioritizes your content based on the following
i. Relevance – your videos should have appropriate keywords, titles, tags and descriptions.
ii. Engagement – your videos should have high watch time, likes, and comments.
iii. Quality – Your videos should have quality content, display expertise and trustworthiness.
B. YouTube Homepage – Here is where most viewers start their journey. Here a viewer can see video ads, relevant videos and shorts that a person may be interested in.
C. Recommended Videos – Videos are recommended to users based on their watch history, search history, channel subscriptions, country and time of day/month/year.
D. Trending Videos – Trending aims to share videos that appeal to a large audience. Think viral videos, new music videos or breaking news. – Things that instantly capture a viewer’s attention.
E. Subscriptions and Notifications – Videos are shown to people who have subscribed to your channel and/or are notified of your latest content.
Always remember to succeed at YouTube you have reframe your thinking and use logic and data to drive your decision making and content strategy. Don’t let misinformed “YouTube Experts” influence your decision making. In 2023 YouTube generated 31.5 billion dollars in revenue and reached 2.7 billion active users – How can they do this if their algorithm is broken?
It’s a tough pill to swallow, but greatness is only achieved by setting aside our egos. Stop worrying/arguing about the algorithm, and work on making small improvements and connecting with your audience. Bruce Lee once said – “It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.”
Disclaimer – I am not a YouTube expert, but I am an expert in the Information Technology field, and I use data and analytics to make data driven decisions and to craft and tell compelling stories.

Just needed to rant a little bit. I played hzd and fw when they first came out. Love the games I really do, so with the pc release and all the new players I thought I would replay both games. Beat HZD on UH plus dlc for the first time and it wasn't as bad as I thoughtit would be.(F the fireclaws tho) So when I moved on to HFW went streight to a harder difficulty. Beginning is fine but once you leave the daunt, I started to notice a jump in difficulty. I know they changed plenty mechanics, biggest one is the dodge roll. But I feel like they made machine fights completely unbearable. Examples, the drakka, thunderjaw. Part of the battle he's suppose to draw fire so you can pick up the ravage cannons. Half the time he's down and the thunderjaw comes at you, or he's trying to give me damn ammo I dont need. Thus bringing the thunderjaw to me anyways. One of the ravage cannons is mostly unusable cause it shoots off underneath a damn car. And all the cars on the field serve no purpose other then to get aloy stuck when trying to dodge. The roll is useless so I used the slide. The slide does not have invisibility frames, connect with any small bump and slide will end. Touch the machine, automatically stepped on. Hit with cannon, paused and stun locked to death. The entire rockbreaker fights are just one big nope. Had to climb some rocks and cheese that fight.
I have the all the proper weapons and armour that you find within the lvl recommendations.
It just seems that trying to fight any machine one on one is no longer enjoyable like in HZD. I don't remember having this much trouble when the game first came out. It's just so frustrating that I just want to avoid every machine cause the mechanics just don't seem to work half the time. The melee stuff is great, I have no issue with that and fighting people is alot better. But the machines are the point of the game. Not really enjoying the core mechanic of killing robotic dinosaurs, when aloy can't seem to have one sec to just shoot the damn things.
Edit: I'm only on hard difficulty but with everything I feel like it's worse.

So I have a pair of headphones and I really want to use 5.1 sound, but idk why, the sounds that are right behind me are completely muted. I have long searched for a solution but there seems to be nothing that can help so I just gave up on that since 5.1 makes music lower quality from my experince.
I saw that between stereo and 5.1 there was quadraphonic and it works great for gaming (I can hear sound from all directions), not as great as if 5.1 worked but it's better than stereo (in some games like metro Exodus, stereo is right ese or left ear so you will hear sounds changing directions constantly, this does not happen with quadraphonic sound).
I also prefer quadraphonic on most games because (and this could be because of my headphones and not the games) in some games, for example, WARFRAME, if I play on stereo everything feels extremely clustered, bassy and sounds that come, from example, from the right, I can also hear them coming over the middle, which makes everything a sound mess.
Thing is that, when it comes to music, what should I be using? Stereo or Quadraphonic? I ask this because I can't notice the difference other than stereo having the bass a little bit more boosted (which I can fix with my equalizer), and the drums feeling a lot better in the ears with quadraphonic sound.
So, what are your thoughts?

Writing this is so incredibly hard, but I truly feel at a complete loss. I don’t know what to do anymore, so I figured why not vent to some strangers on the internet.
I’m 8 weeks postpartum with my second baby. This little one is quite different than my first and I always found it a bit difficult but thought I was managing. My first was not at all clingy, I was able to put her down in her swing or bassinet to get done whatever I needed to. My first also was sleeping through the night at 2 months old. My newborn on the other hand.. is quite the opposite. I’m a SAHM mom and every nap with her is a contact nap. Every. Single. Nap. I thought it would be as easy as replicating what I did with my first & she would fall in line but clearly I was naive and mistaken. My newborn is also overall more fussy and at times I find it so difficult to manage. I noticed early on I’d start to feel overwhelmed and frustrated, however it has only gotten worst and more intense. Today for example, was the most difficult days I’ve had with her- with what felt like non stop crying for 10 hours, broken up by lousy 20 minute naps. It’s worth nothing this is very unusual for her. This lead to me being flooded with anger and impatience all throughout the day. I found myself having to put her in the bassinet while I went across the house to the bathroom to just scream and cry. All day I couldn’t shake the thoughts of wanting to punch a wall, scream, throw something, run away, etc.
It’s humiliating writing this and I feel like a monster. This is supposed to be a time of bliss and my newborn crying makes me feel so overwhelmed to the point of wanting to lash out aggressively? (Not towards her). Any advice is welcome and appreciated. Does this sound like post partum rage?

• also I’d greatly appreciate any tips on getting my newborn to take naps during the day in her bassinet. Everytime I lay her down her eyes pop open and she seems nearly impossible to soothe IN the bassinet like people always suggest. And taking her out, soothing, and putting her back in always causes the same cycle which ends in me having an overtired baby who’s going to scream for the next 20-40 minutes.

I recently started collecting ouch plants and wanted to share everything I’ve learned in hopes that it will help others. These tips come from a mix of places—personal experiences, conversations with growers, reading cactus forums, Reddit, YouTube videos—and because I’m a weirdo, I’ve organized this list from essentials to less important.
Anyway… hope this is helpful and for all you experts, if I’m saying anything dumb, feel free to tell me. I’m still learning!
Miracle Gro = The Worst
Don’t use Miracle Gro. It contains coagulants that cause the soil to hold moisture for obscene amounts of time, making it incredibly easy to overwater your plants.
Personally, I prefer Uni-Gro, which comes with a good mix of organic and mineral ingredients. Depending on the type of cacti (especially those known to grow at higher elevations), I will amend it with pumice and akadama to ensure solid drainage and mineral content.
If your cacti are already planted in Miracle Gro and you don’t plan to repot them, I suggest purchasing a moisture meter from Amazon or Home Depot. Use it to keep an eye on how wet the soil is. If it’s not dry, don’t water them. If it is dry, a little goes a long way!
I’m a Plants Wetter (and Not Afraid to Admit It)
I am historically terrible when it comes to overwatering and have to remind myself that cacti are not humans--they are plants that have evolved to go years, if not centuries, without direct access to water. Take the Copiopoa, for example—they grow in the mountains of Chile, eat rocks, cook in the sun all day, and can live for hundreds of years getting moisture only from the coastal fog. Wild stuff!
I get that that’s an extreme example, but less is more and whatever I define as “less” is still probably too much. In practice, that means I’ll check my plants every 1-2 weeks (or less) and give them a sip of water if their soil is fully dry.
If you’re not sure whether the soil is moist or not, check the hole in the bottom of your pot—if it’s dry, then it’s time to water. If it’s moist—check again in a few days. If there’s no hole, repot your plant immediately.
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
Spring is cactus season! That means new growth, flowers, and action. The rest of the year? Your cacti are using that time to chill, grow, and get thicc—growth will still be taking place, it’s just less noticeable.
Don’t let that trick you into thinking your plant needs more water.
Merry & Bright
Cacti need as much light as possible. Even though I know this, you know this, and dogs know this it bears repeating.
If your plants are inside, put them by the window or under an extremely powerful grow light. Many moisture meters also come with a light meter, so it’s easy to check how much light you’re getting—but ultimately, brighter is always better.
If you’re putting them outside—morning light is the best light. Just be careful about how much exposure they’re getting in the afternoon. Here in the Coachella Valley, for example, the sun turns into a giant death ray in the sky every summer, which means most of my cacti need afternoon shade.
For everyone else, if you’re moving your cacti outdoors, like many on this subreddit have suggested, the best approach is to increase afternoon sun exposure over time; otherwise, they’ll burn.
Repotting & The Many Dumb Mistakes I’ve Made
Much like overwatering, I have made a lot of dumb mistakes when repotting in the past. C’est la vie.
Spring and summer = cactus growing season and the best time to repot. This is true of most plants, but for some reason, I didn’t figure it out until recently. I’ve killed a handful of plants because I repotted them in December and January, thinking it was OK because it’s warm here. Don’t be like me.
When it is time to repot, consider watering your plants a day or two beforehand. Take care to avoid damaging the roots and once you’re done, let them chill in a shady spot for two weeks before giving them any more water. I learned this from watching the Peter W. episode of Cactus Quest. The idea here is that the shade will reduce the shock, your plant won’t be thirsty, and it can use those two weeks to repair any root damage that occurred.
Buying plants from big box stores like Lowes, Home Depot, etc.? Check your soil! Most of these store’s wholesalers are using garbage soil that doesn’t drain and will kill your new buddies if they’re not repotted.
Propping
It’s crazy to me just how easy it is to grow new plants from cuttings. You can literally leave some species of cactus lying on a pile of dirt and they’ll start growing roots and eventually pop out new growth.
If you’re propping from a cutting—make sure to give your plant a few days to callus over, then put it in some dry soil or perlite and wait 2-4 weeks for them to take root. They’ll rot if you water them without roots because they won’t be able to drink anything.
Not sure whether it’s got roots? Give it a very gentle yank to see whether it comes out of the soil. If there’s any tension, then you’re making good progress!
Don’t Get Pricked
Cactus thorns suck. They’re a lot like splinters and can be a giant pain in the ass to remove. In situations where I have to handle them with my hands, I will do one of two things:

1. BBQ Tongs: Use these to pick up or plant smaller specimens without having to worry about my precious digits.
2. 2 Pairs of gloves: I go this route when handling heavier guys. The first layer is leather work gloves. The second layer is cheap raptor gloves from Amazon. I’ve found this prevents 80-90% of surprise punctures but reduces finger mobility.

Feed Me, Seymour
The right substrate (meaning it has a good balance of mineral and organic ingredients) should provide your ouch plants with almost everything they need, so you probably won’t need to worry about fertilizing.
If you do want to hook them up with some food, many folks on this subreddit recommend Schultz’s, which has worked well for me so far—I only use it sparingly only once in spring and early fall. I dilute it by 50% when I do.
If I’ve just repotted a plant, I’ll wait two weeks, then give it a sip of Moon Juice (which is 0-0-0, but full of micronutrients) to help it get established.
I Swear, it’s Not an Addiction
If it were up to me, I’d only buy from my local ouch plant dealer, but after spending some time online, I’ve found some great places to grow my collection! Here's a few:

• Arid Lands: has an incredible assortment of common and hard-to-find plants at very reasonable prices. Their website might be antiquated, but it’s a goldmine.
• Paradise Found: They have a smaller assortment, but also offer a ton of hard-to-find plants at reasonable prices. I was truly impressed by how thoughtfully the plants were packed when I received them.
• Planet Desert: They have a great assortment. Some plants are reasonably priced while others are on the expensive side. It’s best to check prices from other shops before making a purchase.
• Etsy: I’ve made several purchases from different growers here. It’s easy to find what you’re looking for and know exactly what you’re getting. The only disappointing thing is the prices tend to skew higher (sometimes they’re reasonable, usually they’re not).

Other Helpful Resources

• This subreddit. Appreciate y’all.
• Your local growenursery. All the folks I’ve met out here have been so kind and helpful—they care about plants as much (if not more) than we do and have always been willing to answer my questions regardless of whether I’m making a purchase.
• Cactus Quest: I have learned so much watching this dude’s videos… About how to be a better cactus dad, socal-local growers, different species, etc.
• Planty – aka ChatGPT for gardeners. Strongly recommend trying it out and asking questions. I’ve used it to better understand nuanced care for specific species such as recommended soil mixes, outdoor positioning, and watering, as well as how to best protect my plants from local climate extremes.

Link Roundup: Everything I Mentioned in This Post
Soil

• Uni-Gro: Unfortunately this is tough to find online. This store has small bags in stock, but I suggest checking with your local nursery.
• Pumice: https://www.amazon.com/Pumice-Volcanic-Succulents-Orchids-Hydroponics/dp/B09YWPXP9J/
• Akadama Soil: https://www.amazon.com/NOHOBE-Succulents-Amendment-Provides-Retention/dp/B0B7XXY3BF/
• 3-in-1 Moisture Meter: https://www.amazon.com/Sonkir-Soil-Moisture-Tester-Gardening/dp/B07BR52P26/
• Pre-mixed Stone Eater’s Soil: https://cactus.store/products/stone-eaters

Equipment

• BBQ Tongs: https://www.amazon.com/KingTong-Stainless-Steel-Tongs-Grill/dp/B07DBPL435/
• Leather Work Gloves: https://www.amazon.com/Wells-Lamont-1168XL-HydraHyde-Water-Resistant/dp/B079RQRWY1/
• Raptor Gloves: https://www.amazon.com/RAPICCA-Handling-Reinforced-Grabbing-Grey-Black/dp/B07DVXQ9RD/

Plant Food

• Schultz Cactus Food: https://www.amazon.com/Schultz-Cactus-Liquid-Plant-2-7-7/dp/B01E82THI6/
• Super Charged Moon Juice: https://www.moonvalleynurseries.com/supercharged-moon-juice

Growers, etc.

• Arid Lands Nursery: https://aridlandswholesale.com/oscommerce/
• Paradise Found Nursery: https://www.paradisefoundnursery.com
• Planet Desert: https://planetdesert.com
• Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/search?q=trichocereus&ref=search_bar
• Cactus Quest: YT Channel + Insta

Recently, as I've gotten more into Spectacle Brawlers/Character Action Games and Fighting Games, mechanical complexity is something that's been on my mind a lot more than it used to be. And I don't want to imply that games focusing on mechanical depth are bad or anything, Devil May Cry 5 and Guilty Gear Strive are easily in my top 20 if not top 10 games of all time. But it's remained obvious to me that game feel will always be way more important than depth.
Depth is great for keeping people wanting to come back and play the game even after they've finished all the content of the game, but nobody is going to want to engage in that depth if the game doesn't feel good to play. Meanwhile, if a game feels good but is mechanically shallow, it's still fun to just turn your brain off and enjoy the carnage.
So I ask, what are some examples of games that are shallow, but feel good.
My main thought is something like the Insomniac Spider-Man games (at least 1 and Morales, haven't played 2 yet). There's some depth there with the different moves and suit abilities you can get, but ultimately it's all fluff. You're primarily gonna be using the basic punches to get through most encounters, and the suit abilities really come down to "I like this one most, and so I'm gonna use this one almost exclusively". But you know what? The combat just feels so good. I'd probably put it as the third best Arkham-Like game I've played, only coming behind Mad Max and the Arkham Games themselves.