This is one switch from a three-way switch stairway light. Behind this wall is a closet where I’d like to add a light with its own switch. Can I connect to this wire from behind the wall and use it to power that switch loop? Or because it’s on a three-way switch, am I unable to tap it for continuous power to the closet switch that I want to add?
I’m not going to do this wiring myself. I just want to know if it’s possible before I bother a pro to come do it.

I spend a lot of time researching how our nervous system works and what may contribute to the development of Visual Snow and other symptoms. Remember that there is a lot of vital information that I do not know, and may greatly benefit our understanding of this condition. Visual snow is described as an "epileptic" firing in the visual system in the brain. (Tinnitus behaves very similarly but it is occurring in the auditory nerves) NMDA glutamate receptors, which are overexpressed after excitotoxic injury may well be the trigger of an increased spontaneous firing in the nerves. In turn, the brain would decode this increased firing as "visual snow" The idea is that remaining nerve endings have been damaged enough to overexpress NMDA Glutamate receptors, thus increasing their spontaneous firing.There are various factors that contribute to the development of this condition. Everybody first had an initial trigger, and this varies from person to person. Common causes include stress, trauma, recreational and prescription drugs, Lyme, mold, heavy metals, and other toxic exposures. But what they all result in is brain injury and neuronal damage. The severity varies from person to person. The consequences of such injury doesn't just cause break in communication between healthy neurons, but a cascade of events that can lead to further neuronal degeneration and cell death. That is where visual snow comes in. Think of a broken radio or a TV where it isn't able to receive and process incoming signals so the outcome is a lot of visual/auditory noise. Our brains behave in a similar manner when there is an interference with proper neuron function and communication.Another good example is a type of neuropathic pain called paresthesia where you experience tingling and pricking sensations in various parts of your body. When nerves are damaged, they can't communicate properly and that miscommunication causes symptoms such as pain, tingling or numbness.Medical researchers searching for new medications for visual snow often look to the connection between the nerve cells in the brain and the various agents that act as neurotransmitters, such as the central nervous system's primary excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. Visual snow can be caused when damaged brain cells emit an excess of glutamate. Many treatments use ingredients that work as glutamate antagonists, or inhibitors. Communication between nerve cells in the brain is accomplished through the use of neurotransmitters. There are many compounds that act as neurotransmitters including acetylcholine, serotonin, GABA, glutamate, aspartate, epinephrine, norpinephrine and dopamine. These chemicals attach to nerve cells at specific receptors that allow for only one type of neurotransmitter to attach.Some of the neurotransmitters are excitatory; leading to increased electrical transmission between nerve cells. Others are inhibitory and reduce electrical activity. The most common excitatory neurotransmitters are glutamate and aspartate while the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter is GABA. It is necessary for excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters to be in balance for proper brain function to occur.Communication over synapses between neurons are controlled by glutamate. When brain cells are damaged, excessive glutamate is released. Glutamate is well known to have neurotoxic properties when excessively released or incompletely recycled. This is known as excitotoxicity and leads to neuronal death.Excess glutamate opens the sodium channel in the neuron and causes it to fire. Sodium continues to flow into the neuron causing it to continue firing. This continuous firing of the neuron results in a rapid buildup of free radicals and inflammatory compounds. These compounds attack the mitochondria, the energy producing elements in the core of the neuron cell. The mitochondria become depleted and the neuron withers and dies.Excitotoxicity has been involved in a number of acute and/or degenerative forms of neuropathology such as epilepsy, autism, ALS, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, migraines, restless leg syndrome, tourettes, pandas, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's, seizures, insomnia, hyperactivity, OCD, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders.(Doctors use two basic ways to correct this imbalance. The first is to activate GABA receptors that will inhibit the continuous firing caused by glutamate. The second way to correct the imbalance is use antogonists to glutamate and its receptor N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA). These are termed glutamate or NMDA antagonists. By binding with these receptors, the antagonist medication reduces glutamate-induced continuous firing of the neuron. This explains why some drugs like clonazepam and lamictal are able to help relieve symptoms in some patients. They help reduce excitatory action in the brain temporarily)Anxiety, depression, brain fog, depersonalization, visual disturbances (including visual snow, palinopsia, blue field entoptic phenomenon, photophobia, photopsia) headaches, tinnitus, are all common symptoms associated with increased excitatory activity in the brain. Excessive glutamate is the primary villain in visual snow.I strongly believe there are some genetic components that play a huge role in the development of Visual Snow and makes some individuals more susceptible to developing it. Normally, glutamate concentration is tightly controlled in the brain by various mechanisms at the synapse. There are at least 30 proteins that are membrane-bound receptor or transporter proteins at, or near, the glutamate synapse that control or modulate neuronal excitability. But in Visual Snow sufferers, my hypothesis is that we carry a faulty gene that results in dysregulation of the proteins that control and regulate glutamate excitability. They are unknown as more research will be needed.We live in a society where we are stressed emotionally, financially, physically and exposed to a range of toxins in our environment. Combining underlying genetic susceptibility with these other factors creates all the ingredients for a perfect storm.Stress + Infectious Agents (if any) + Toxins + Genetic Susceptibility = Health ConditionIncluded below is a list of things that can lead to excitotoxicity. The list includes trauma, drugs, environmental, chemicals and miscellaneous causes of brain cell damage. (Keep in mind everybody's bodies behave and react differently to various substances)-Severe Stress (Most people that are stressed out don’t realize that once the fight-or-flight response gets activated it can release things like cortisol and epinephrine into the body. Although these boost alertness, in major concentrations, the elevated levels of cortisol over an extended period of time can damage brain functioning and kill brain cells)-Free Radicals – Free radicals are highly-reactive forms of oxygen that can kill brain cells and cause brain damage. If the free radicals in your brain run rampant, your neurons will be damaged at a quicker rate than they can be repaired. This leads to brain cell death as well as cognitive decline if not corrected. (Common causes are unhealthy diet, lifestyle and toxic exposure)-Head Trauma (like concussion or contusion) MRI can detect damaged brain tissue BUT not damaged neurons. -Dehydration (severe)-Cerebal Hypoxia-Lyme disease-Narcolepsy-Sleep Apnea-Stroke-Drugs (recreational or prescription) -Amphetamine abuse-Methamphetamines-Antipsychotics-Benzodiazepine abuse-Cocaine-Esctasy -LSD-Cannabis-Tobacco-Inhalants-Nitrous Oxide-PCP-Steroids-Air Pollution-Carbon Monoxide-Heavy Metal Exposure (such as lead, copper and mercury)-Mold Exposure-Welding fumes-Formaldehyde-Solvents-Pesticides-Anesthesia-Aspartame-MSG (Monosodium Glutamate is found in most processed foods and is hidden under many various names)-Solvents-Chemotherapy-Radiation-Other toxic exposuresInside the Glutamate StormBy: Vivian Teichberg, and Luba Vikhanski"The amino acid glutamate is the major signaling chemical in nature. All invertebrates (worms, insects, and the like) use glutamate for conveying messages from nerve to muscle. In mammals, glutamate is mainly present in the central nervous system, brain, and spinal cord, where it plays the role of a neuronal messenger, or neurotransmitter. In fact, almost all brain cells use glutamate to exchange messages. Moreover, glutamate can serve as a source of energy for the brain cells when their regular energy supplier, glucose, is lacking. However, when its levels rise too high in the spaces between cells—known as extracellular spaces—glutamate turns its coat to become a toxin that kills neurons.As befits a potentially hazardous substance, glutamate is kept safely sealed within the brain cells. A healthy neuron releases glutamate only when it needs to convey a message, then immediately sucks the messenger back inside. Glutamate concentration inside the cells is 10,000 times greater than outside them. If we follow the dam analogy, that would be equivalent to holding 10,000 cubic feet of glutamate behind the dam and letting only a trickle of one cubic foot flow freely outside. A clever pumping mechanism makes sure this trickle never gets out of hand: When a neuron senses the presence of too much glutamate in the vicinity—the extracellular space—it switches on special pumps on its membrane and siphons the maverick glutamate back in.This protective pumping process works beautifully as long as glutamate levels stay within the normal range. But the levels can rise sharply if a damaged cell spills out its glutamate. In such a case, the pumps on the cellular membranes can no longer cope with the situation, and glutamate reveals its destructive powers. It doesn’t kill the neuron directly. Rather, it overly excites the cell, causing it to open its pores excessively and let in large quantities of substances that are normally allowed to enter only in limited amounts.One of these substances is sodium, which leads to cell swelling because its entry is accompanied by an inrush of water, needed to dilute the surplus sodium. The swelling squeezes the neighboring blood vessels, preventing normal blood flow and interrupting the supply of oxygen and glucose, which ultimately leads to cell death. Cell swelling, however, is reversible; the cells will shrink back once glutamate is removed from brain fluids. More dangerous than sodium is calcium, which is harmless under normal conditions but not when it rushes inside through excessively opened pores. An overload of calcium destroys the neuron’s vital structures and eventually kills it.Regardless of what killed it, the dead cell spills out its glutamate, all the vast quantities of it that were supposed to be held back by the dam. The spill overly excites more cells, and these die in turn, spilling yet more glutamate. The destructive process repeats itself over and over, engulfing brain areas until the protective pumping mechanism finally manages to stop the spread of glutamate."Recent research has confirmed that hypermetabolism has been primarily found in the right lingual gyrus and left cerebellar anterior lobe of the brain in individuals suffering from visual snow. The definition of hypermetabolism is described as "the physiological state of increased rate of metabolic activity and is characterized by an abnormal increase in metabolic rate." Hypermetabolism typically occurs after significant injury to the body. It serves as one of the body's strongest defence against illness and injury. This means that the brain is trying to compensate for the injured areas in the brain by increasing metabolism to meet it's high energy demands. It is trying to function to the best of it's ability under the circumstances. Normally the body can heal itself and regenerate under the right circumstances. But it is extremely difficult for the central nervous system - which includes the spinal cord and brain to be able to do so, due to it's inhibitory environment which prevents new neurons from forming. That is where stem cells come in. Stem cells are an exciting new discovery, because they can become literally any cell in the body including neurons. This is an amazing scientific breakthrough and has the potential to treat a whole host of conditions. Scientists are currently doing research and conducting trials.Excitotoxicity can trigger your "fight or flight" response, as this is the body's primary response to illness, injury or infection. If the brain and the body remain in the sympathetic fight or flight state for too long and too often, it is degenerative; it breaks us down. If this cycle continues, then eventually the system burns out. It is this cycle that results in autonomic nervous system dysfunction. The results are disastrous, digestion is shut down, metabolism, immune function and the detoxification system is impaired, blood pressure and heart rate are increased, circulation is impaired, sleep is disrupted, memory and cognitive function may be impaired, neurotransmitters are drained, our sense of smell, taste and sound are amplified, high levels of norepinephrine are released in the brain and the adrenal glands release a variety of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.I believe in order to find a treatment or cure for VS and it's accompanying symptoms, we need to address the underlying cause, reduce the excess excitatory activity in the brain, repair the damaged neurons, regain proper communication between neurons, rebalance the autonomic nervous system and prevent further cellular damage. We also need to figure out what genes, if any come into play. There is still a lot we don't know about the brain because it is such an remarkably complex organ.FAQsWon't lowering the levels of glutamate solve the problem? Well, not necessarily. That is just one piece of the puzzle. You have to remember that Visual Snow is a multifactorial and complex condition in which it stems from a number of different causes and influences. Based on my knowledge and the information I have gathered, I can conclude that the overstimulation of glutamate plays a huge role in VS and some other symptoms we experience. But there is still so much we don't know. That's why more research will be needed.Why is my condition worsening over time?That is a very good question. It is because the physiology, biology and chemistry of your brain and nervous system has been altered and has become dysfunctional since the initial trigger set off a domino of effects that leads to further degradation in the body. This puts a huge strain on your body and is constantly activating your stress response system. This will wreak havoc on your entire body. The stress response system was designed to deal with brief emergencies that threaten survival. It isn't supposed to last very long because the body cannot sustain itself for very long in this state. When you remain in "fight or flight" sympathetic state for too long, it becomes degenerative and breaks our bodies down. This affects every system in the body. When you are constantly under stress, the stress response system never turns off resulting in an ongoing destructive cycle. Stress can also exacerbate all your symptoms and makes you susceptible to developing other chronic health conditions. How is the gut related to VS?Having increased intestinal permeability is very common in this modern world because we are constantly being bombarded by toxins and stress. Our bodies weren't designed to handle such a huge burden. So we end up getting sick and become susceptible to kinds of diseases. Common causes include:-Poor diet (from excessive consumption of foods such as grains, legumes, sugars, alcohol)-Chronic stress-Toxin overload-Gut dysbiosis (It means you have a lack of beneficial bacteria in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. They are overpowered and outnumbered by pathogens such as pathogenic bacteria, yeast, viruses, parasites)-Overuse of antibiotics When you have increased intestinal permeability, the epithelium on the villi of the small intestine becomes inflamed and irritated, which allows metabolic, microbial and environmental toxins and undigested food particles to flood into the blood stream. This event compromises the liver, the lymphatic system, and the immune response including the endocrine system. It is often the primary cause of the following common conditions: asthma, food allergies, chronic sinusitis, eczema, urticaria, migraine, irritable bowel, fungal disorders, fibromyalgia, and inflammatory joint disorders including rheumatoid arthritis are just a few of the diseases that can originate from having poor gut health.This sets the stage for chronic systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired detoxification, gastrointestinal dysfunction and immune system dysregulation.Some toxins have the ability to damage and destroy neurons, myelin sheaths, synapses and even DNA. An overload of toxins that the immune system is not able to get rid of disrupts normal brain function. This eventually initiates an autoimmune response where the immune system attacks the brain and nerve cells as it tries it’s best to eliminate the toxins.The mitochondria are the energy producing section of your cells. When they are damaged by the toxic overload in the brain cells and are not able to produce energy to fuel the cell, the cell dies.In order to stop this vicious cycle, the underlying biological mechanisms of VS needs to be understood. That is the first step that needs to be taken. Any other stressors also needs to be addressed in order to reduce the overall stress load.It is important to know that VS is just a symptom of underlying physiological stress in the brain. Symptoms are your body's way of communicating with you, letting you know something is wrong in the body.I've come across some research indicating that microglial activation and elevated nitric oxide is involved in some neurological conditions. Basically the microglial cells are our brain's immune cells and when something triggers an inflammatory response, they activate and release harmful neurotoxic compounds (such as nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines) which results in neuronal injury/death. Microglial activation can also result in a loss of synaptic connections in different regions of the brain. It's basically an autoimmune response in the brain. The neuroinflammatory process appears to be an ongoing and chronic cycle of central nervous system dysfunction. This can deplete glutathione levels in the body. Glutathione is the body’s most important antioxidant which is capable of preventing oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species such as free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides, and heavy metals. This only further exaggerates the problem, which only leads to a cascade of increased inflammation.Nitric oxide plays a vital role in this process. Elevated nitric oxide levels reduces and impair natural killer cells which leads to a vulnerable immune system that is susceptible to a variety of systemic infections. -Phobe Zhang

Standard Fabrication Processes on 200mm Silicon Wafers Using Lightwave Logic's Proprietary Slot Modulator Design Achieved Record Breaking sub-1V Drive at 200Gbps PAM4 – Ideal for 800Gbps and 1.6T Pluggable Transceivers.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lightwave Logic, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWLG) a technology platform company leveraging its proprietary electro-optic (EO) polymers to transmit data at higher speeds with less power in a small form factor today announced a collaboration with Advanced Micro Foundry (AMF), a leading Silicon Photonics volume foundry – to develop state-of art polymer slot modulators utilizing AMF's silicon photonics platform.
These modulators have been shown to achieve a record low drive voltage below 1V and data rates of 200Gbps PAM4. This performance will enable a new generation of 800 Gb/s and 1.6T Gb/s pluggable transceivers to address fast growing requirements for optical connectivity for large generative AI computing clusters.
Lightwave Logic and AMF have collaborated over the past year to develop the electro optic polymer slot modulators utilizing AMF's standard manufacturing process flow on 200-mm wafers. This successful demonstration marks a significant milestone in integrated photonics, blending Silicon photonics with polymer materials. Building on this demonstration, both parties are aiming to enhance the modulators to ensure these advanced components are readily accessible to product companies on a manufacturing scale.
Dr. Michael Lebby, Chairman and CEO of Lightwave Logic, commented: "AMF is truly a world class facility with their silicon photonics maturity, and capacity for volume manufacturing. Working with AMF, we not only increased our wafer size to 200-mm, but we also turbo-boosted silicon photonics with our polymer slot modulators to achieve world class performance. Engineers from both sides have worked hard to achieve a silicon photonics design that integrates smoothly with polymer – a process that would have been much more challenging if other next-generation modulator materials had been utilized. This accomplishment puts our company in a very strong position to ramp volume both for our polymers as well as 200-mm silicon wafer volume with AMF."
Mr Jagadish C.V, CEO of AMF, stated: "Lightwave Logic's EO polymer modulators have been demonstrated to support higher baud rates, low power consumption, all while preserving their compact size. These features, integrated with AMF Silicon Photonics platform, make them cost effective options for 4X200 Gb/s (800Gb/s) and next-generation 1.6Tb/s pluggable transceivers applications. This demonstration opens exciting opportunities to develop novel solutions for commercial-grade-compatible EO polymer modulators seamlessly integrated with AMF's standard processes. We are keen to continue to explore the synergies between EO polymer modulation on our foundry processes, to provide innovative and manufacturable technology solutions for data communication."
About Advanced Micro Foundry Advanced Micro Foundry (AMF), Singapore is the world's first specialty Silicon Photonics foundry. AMF offers a full spectrum of manufacturing, prototyping, and testing services, all supported by proprietary technology platforms. These platforms are enhanced by continuously evolving Process Design Kits (PDKs), which are designed in-house for applications in sectors like Telecom, Data Centers, LiDAR, and Sensors. AMF's commitment to device innovation and excellence in delivery has been pivotal in the rapid growth of Silicon Photonics products globally.
About Lightwave Logic, Inc. Lightwave Logic, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWLG) develops a platform leveraging its proprietary engineered electro-optic (EO) polymers to transmit data at higher speeds with less power in a small form factor. The company's high-activity and high-stability organic polymers allow Lightwave Logic to create next-generation photonic EO devices, which convert data from electrical signals into optical signals, for applications in data communications and telecommunications markets. For more information, please visit the company's website at lightwavelogic.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "explores," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, lack of available funding; general economic and business conditions; competition from third parties; intellectual property rights of third parties; regulatory constraints; changes in technology and methods of marketing; delays in completing various engineering and manufacturing programs; changes in customer order patterns; changes in product mix; success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations; shortages in components; production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components; those events and factors described by us in Item 1.A "Risk Factors" in our most recent Form 10-K and 10-Q; other risks to which our company is subject; other factors beyond the company's control.
Investor Relations Contact: Lucas A. Zimmerman MZ Group - MZ North America 949-259-4987 LWLG@mzgroup.us www.mzgroup.us
SOURCE Lightwave Logic, Inc.

Hi guys, here is what I'd change if I were going to improve Helldivers 2, specifically with weapon balance changes. This'll be a long post and I can only balance what I have access to so the following weapons may only receive passing mention or observation.
Arc-12 Blitzer (Weak)
Eruptor (Gutted Completely)
CB-9 Exploding Crossbow (Seen in use once, player hated it)
GP-31 Grenade Pistol (No Observation)
Plas-101 Purifier (No Observation)
P-113 Verdict (No Observation)
Obviously, these are my opinions but I'd love to hear what other people think if I have over buffed or nerfed. I may do the Stratagems not listed here as well as go over the armours if people like this, no TLDR, sorry.
BALANCING:
PRIMARIES:
AR-23 Liberator: My favourite weapon that I feel is mostly in a good place. I would up the damage slightly.
Damage: 60 70
AR-23C Liberator Concussive: I rarely see this weapon used, the concussive effect is more annoying than useful, the slow rate of fire and high recoil sucks and it doesn't deal enough damage. If weapon customization isn't coming, I would personally give this a grenade launcher attachment that fires some form of stun grenade. Another option is to have the rounds effect enemies around the target in a small radius.
Damage: 65 75
Recoil: 28 22
Fire Rate: 320 480
AR-23P Liberator Penetrator: I'm unsure why damage seems reduced so much when a weapon is given medium armour penetration. It removes any effectiveness vs. lower tier enemies and still only tickles medium armour enemies. Make it over-penetrate smaller enemies and hit targets behind them.
Damage: 45 60
AR-61 Tenderiser: Needs more stopping power as per description.
Damage: 60 75
BR-14 Adjudicator: I actually think this rifle is in a really good place.
R-63 Diligence: The two Marksman Rifles don't offer enough in general. They need high damage and higher weak-point damage. I suggest that this weapon also be 'suppressed' in some way, alerting enemies less than it's counter-part.
Damage: 125 135
Weak-point Damage: +30%
R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper: Same as above but it should have a louder profile and over-penetrate smaller enemies.
Damage: 140 150
Weak-Point Damage +35%
MP-98 Knight: A weapon I love to use, hindered by it's capacity.
Damage: 50 45
Capacity: 50 90
Movement Buff: 5%
SMG-37 Defender: In many ways superior to the current Liberator, with the buffs to the Liberator, I would simply give this weapon a player movement buff as above.
Movement Buff: 5%
SMG-72 Pummeller: Extremely good weapon, although not my personal favourite, I would also give this the movement buff.
Movement Buff: 5%
SG-8 Punisher: I find this weapon is in a pretty good place. It should damage limbs more effectively.
SG-8S Slugger: When compared to the Punisher, this shotgun is seriously lacking. The damage is too little, the medium armour pen doesn't feel there at all. It needs to blow holes in big things and over-penetrate small things. Needs a higher body weak-point damage (Hulk Face/SpeweChargeTitan butts).
Damage: 250 400
Weak-point: 30%
SG-225 Breaker: Needs it's capacity increased.
Capacity: 13 20
SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary: Pretty well used in most games I play, I think it's in a good enough place currently.
SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray: This weapon is so bad it hurts. It struggles to kill even the bottom tier enemies with one shot and anything bigger than a warrior takes practically a full magazine. it's a spray and pray and as such, should reflect that.
Damage: 192 280
Recoil: 45 70
Fire Rate: 330 500
Jar-5 Dominator: Generally I think this weapon is in a good spot, I'd maybe increase the damage slightly and give it over-penetration on smaller enemies.
Damage: 275 280
SG-8P Punisher Plasma: This is an odd weapon that feels pretty flaccid when shooting. I would assume plasma would melt armoured points but it doesn't seem to do that very well either.
Damage: 250 300
Weak-point damage: 30%
Melts armoured parts of enemies.
Las-5 Scythe: I actually really enjoy this weapon and feel it needs to simply do a bit more damage to limbs.
Las-16 Sickle: Also in a really good spot.
Plas-1 Scorcher: I would have this also melt weak points on enemies after a few shots, otherwise feels fine generally. I do think that when compared to the dominator, this is practically a down grade every time so it needs something the dominator can't do like melting carapaces etc.
SECONDARIES:
P-4 Senator: Great place now it has the speed-loader. I would let it over-penetrate smaller enemies.
P-2 Peacemaker: I would increase the damage slightly as the P-4 and P-19 always feel like superior options. Damage: 75 85
P-19 Redeemer: Great weapon, no adjustments.
Las-7 Dagger: Like the Scythe, this pistol needs to deal increased limb damage but is otherwise fine in my opinion.
GRENADES:
Impact grenades need to be less strong than their timed variants. Timed grenades are rarely seen in any of the games I play, similarly Smoke, Stun and Thermite are never used.
G-3 Smoke: It's obscuring effect needs to have some effect where enemies suppress, pause, and then search, completely losing the players position unless spotted or fired upon. Currently, they have absolutely no use other grenades can't compensate for.
G-6: Frag: The radius of the fragmentation needs to be higher and the damage slightly upped, dropping off over the larger radius. It also needs to suppress enemies more who are hit.
Damage: 300 dropping down to 200 on the Outer Radius.
Outer Radius: 8 -- > 12
G-10 Incendiary: Also needs a larger radius than it's impact counter-part, I think damage is fine.
Outer Radius: 7 9
G-12 High Explosive: Again needs a larger radius than it's impact counter-part, I also think the damage could be increased due to it's larger size and perhaps a slightly higher penetration.
Damage: 400 450
Penetration: 4 5
Outer Radius: 7 8
G-13 Incendiary Impact: I feel that due to their size and nature, impact should have a smaller radius and lower damage in some cases, fire is fire so this doesn't need a lower damage. If the other incendiary is buffed, this grenade needs no changes.
G-16 Impact: Needs a slight reduction in outer radius, otherwise fine. As above, if the timed grenade is buffed, I think this would be fine.
G-23 Stun: I actually think this grenade is fine. I think this is down to the player base and people preferring to blow stuff up than stun it.
G-123 Thermite: I think this grenade needs to activate slightly quicker. I feel that when attached to an enemy, the enemy should also lose track of the player and potentially attack whatever is closest in a sense of panic or confusion. If the idea is this grenade exposes parts, it's not doing enough and if the idea is it kills heavily armoured enemies, it's also not doing enough.
SUPPORT WEAPONS:
Obviously there are no stats on these weapons however I'd like to make some suggestions on some of them, the below weapons are in a good place.
AC-8 Autocannon
RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher
EAT-17
GL-21 Grenade Launcher
MG-43
LAS-99 Quasar Cannon
The following need buffs or changes.
M-105 Stalwart: It feels like this should be a primary. Other than that, it's fine.
FLAM-40 Flamethrower: I would like this to drop with a backpack option so you can either chose to roll with the smaller ammo, or the larger ammo count. The tank should let you should further and for longer at the cost of potentially exploding if shot.
MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun: I'd also like to see this with a backpack ammunition option, making it belt-fed. It should also have over-penetration on smaller enemies and rip chunks off the big boys.
FAF-14 Spear: Do I need to say anything? Lock-on issues aside, it needs to one shot basically everything. I'd also like it to be able to tag player marks including smaller enemies and the environment and I'd like a 'hold-R' option to switch the missiles to airburst or standard.
GR-8 Recoilless Rifle: As above, I would like this to have a fire-option to shoot HE/Flak or AP.
APW-1 Anti-Material Rifle: Needs over-penetration on small enemies.
RS-422 Railgun: With other stratagems being buffed, there is no reason that this can't be reverted with a slightly lowered capacity from 20 12
LAS-98 Laser Cannon: Needs to melt carapace and armour to expose them to weak-points and needs higher limb damage but is otherwise fine.
ARC-3 Arc Thrower: It needs a higher damage and a stun effect on enemies hit. Enemies dying could cause a miniature EMS cloud effect in a small radius.
Edit: Formatting

Day one Pixel 8 Pro owner here. Thought I’d share my experience, after over 8 months of ownership.
P8P Bay 256GB has been my daily driver since its release. I use it with 5G on, screen at full resolution, dynamic "smooth display" refresh rate is on, no bluetooth or tethering. Brightness left on auto.
TLDR :
Positives = camera quality, great design, OS (with some caveats), great screen (some caveats too)
Negatives = everything else
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Camera : beautiful imagery has always been the signature of the Pixel line, and this release is no exception. Every shot has this mesmerizing "Pixel touch", and the new ultrawide sensor is finally on par with the main unit. Videos are world class too, not quite on the level of the iPhone but we'll get there eventually.
Beautiful and unique design : It's sitting in a clear case, and in a sea of generic, boring slabs, it really stands out and doesn't go unnoticed. People often ask me what kind of phone it is, most are still not aware that Google is making smartphones and has been doing so for almost a decade now.
Very long software support : Seven years of updates is unrivaled in the Android scene, albeit with the following you’ll understand no one would willingly keep this phone seven years, so it’s not really a positive.
Sleek OS : Android in its purest, cleanest form. Customization galore. However as I'll mention later this pure android is NOT running smoothly, so I don't know if this count as a positive.
Gorgeous OLED panel : A truly beautiful display, high-resolution, good brightness..unfortunately plagued by mutiple lags and frame drops in the UI, I'll get back to that. Now onto the negatives.
First off, we must address the elephant in the room. Battery life. This phone charges PAINFULLY slow and discharges EXTREMELY fast. The opposite of what you want, right ?
The 10 minutes top ups to 50% is a concept Google seemingly never heard of. You want half a charge ? Better sit & wait half an hour. Full charge ? Go watch a movie. Now the discharge, and this is where the real drama clocks in. This phone EATS battery, ON IDLE.
On your average 9 to 5 workday (no camera, no games, just basic apps) you’ll head home with 15% tops. Phone dead by 7pm, then full charge will eat 90 minutes off your schedule, better not be in a hurry.
Now try to make a bit of power usage out of your power user phone : A bit of pictures for work at 10am, a short 4K video at 1pm, a bit of Fallout Shelter on the toilet at 2pm. You’re now looking at a 4pm shutdown.
But let’s go real on the camera, after all this is a camera flagship and it should be your reliable companion on a field day. Starting at 10 am : pictures, videos, a bit of editing, about 40 pictures taken and 3 videos of 10 minutes each. Shutdown at 1PM.
The CPU just eats battery on IDLE doing NOTHING. Throw anything heavy at it and you’ll head home with a dead phone, one that died long before your day was over. Simple as that.
Keep in mind that this is my experience with a 8-months-old device, and it will get worse and worse as the battery cell degrades over time. One can only wonder how many cell replacements this phone will need to get to the end of its famed software support.
Now we need to talk UI and animations because this isn’t good either. Stellar 120hz OLED panel and stock android should be a recipe for smoothness, but not here. Actually, some animations including the cool lock screen clock are barely 60hz. Switching apps isn’t 120hz either, nor is scrolling. A TON of lags and various frame drops, resulting in a framerate like 40-90hz, never stable, with the occasional but very rare peak at 120. This isn't TW3 gameplay on a potato but simply browing menus and scrolling instagram on a 2023, 1159€ flagship phone from Google.
This phone FEELS slow, and yet consume an enormous amount of power to do so. Infuriating.
One day I had to handle a coworker’s A54 to tweak a few things. I was SHOCKED by the smoothness, this was indeed true 120hz, which only happens a few times a day on Pixel 8 Pro. I realized what I was missing on by handling an Exynos mid-ranger. I understand the need for a dynamic framerate, not locked at 120hz all the time to save battery. But only reaching 120hz 5 times a day and still having a mediocre battery life wasn’t what I had in mind.
Finally, the optical, under-display fingerprint scanner. This, my friends, is an antique piece of hardware that belongs to a museum. Remember the Huawei Mate RS from 2018 ? One of the first phones with UDFS. The optical technology was so experimental and unreliable (still is, most OEMs moved on to ultrasonic) that Huawei also included another optical fingerprint sensor on the back of the device, just in case. Well, this ancient tech is what you have on the Pixel 8 Pro, and no optical sensor backup in sight.
Sometimes, it can take up to 2 full seconds of contact to….successfully fail to unlock. After it fails 3 times or so, it will ask you to enter your password, making one-hand unlocks a luck job. Sometimes it will successfully unlock after a couple tries, but a couple tries of 2 seconds each makes unlocking your phone a 4 seconds job which is just painfully slow. The occasional one tap magic is as rare as the occasional 120hz peak in the UI. As for face-unlock, I know it's there but I disabled it because it doesn't work in the dark (no IR sensor) and I simply want to unlock my phone at waist height, without having to raise it to my face.
Pixel 8 Pro remembers me of an exotic sports car that might look incredibly cool from a distance but is actually a pain to live with on a daily basis. And indeed it does look incredibly cool. I remember seeing this phone as a much better pick than the generic Galaxy and the boring iPhone, but I’d rather go boring or generic than having to handle this mess of an hardware Google sold me for 1159€.
TLDR : Positives = Camera quality, great design Negatives = everything else

Hey, everybody! I'm about to build my first PC, I'd like to ask you some tips and questions, since I'm new to this business:

1. How would you rate my build overall?
2. What would you change?

I am currently choosing a motherboard between “MSI B650M GAMING PLUS WIFI” and “Gigabyte B650M D3HP” the prices are the same. Are there any indicators that will help to make the final choice?
Also not sure which CPU cooling to choose:
Deepcool AK400; Thermalright Assassin Spirit; BE QUIET PURE ROCK Slim 2; Cooler Master Hyper 212 Spectrum V2; ARTIC Freezer 36

1. Is my build price adequate? (All prices are based on my region). My budget is 1150$

Thank you very much in advance!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/7gn2cH)
TypeItemPrice
:----:----:----
**CPU** [AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/yXmmP6/amd-ryzen-5-7600-38-ghz-6-core-processor-100-100001015box) $180.00
**CPU Cooler** [Deepcool AK400 66.47 CFM CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/QPkWGX/deepcool-ak400-6647-cfm-cpu-cooler-r-ak400-bknnmn-g-1) $34.00
**Motherboard** [MSI B650M GAMING PLUS WIFI Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/QcvD4D/msi-b650m-gaming-plus-wifi-micro-atx-am5-motherboard-b650m-gaming-plus-wifi) $143.00
**Memory** [G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/LBstt6/gskill-flare-x5-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr5-6000-cl30-memory-f5-6000j3038f16gx2-fx5) $127.00
**Storage** [Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/chzhP6/crucial-p3-plus-1-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-ct1000p3pssd8) $86.00
**Video Card** [ASRock Challenger OC Radeon RX 7700 XT 12 GB Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8wDQzy/asrock-challenger-oc-radeon-rx-7700-xt-12-gb-video-card-rx7700xt-cl-12go) $430.00
**Case** [Deepcool MATREXX 40 3FS MicroATX Mini Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/36gFf7/deepcool-matrexx-40-3fs-microatx-mini-tower-case-dp-matx-matrexx40-3fs) $45.00
**Power Supply** [EVGA SuperNOVA 750 GT 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/J9drxevga-supernova-750-gt-750-w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-220-gt-0750-y1) $96.00
**Total** **$1141.00**

All new except Gpu. (Prices converted from Ron)
PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$85.00
Motherboard	Gigabyte B450M K Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$59.00
Memory	Silicon Power XPOWER Zenith Gaming 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory	$38.00
Storage	MSI SPATIUM M450 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive	$71.00
Video Card	XFX Speedster SWFT 210 Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card	$152.00
Case	Thermaltake Versa H18 MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$50.00
Power Supply	MSI MAG A500DN 500 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply	$43.00
Wireless Network Adapter	TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11a/b/g/n PCIe x1 Wi-Fi Adapter	$12.00
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$510.00
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-05-21 08:01 EDT-0400

Just to play the devil's advocate here regarding an older post and the controversy that ensued, sex between a brother and sister close in age is ASSUMED to be incest, and that coercion of one sort or another exists in a situation like this (usually blamed on the brother). But does a brother truly have the coercive power in such a dynamic? You know, if you've been raised with a sibling of the opposite sex, a lot of arguing and fighting goes on; sometimes the sister gets her way, sometimes the brother gets his way. Who has the power here? This same brother and sister are sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn watching a movie. The sister places a hand on the brother's thigh and kisses him on the neck. Is the brother being coerced into sex? Or has the sister lost enough fights and arguments with her brother that her actions are a form of surrender to him as a superior? Maybe the sister is truly horny, a physiological drive is at play here, not an abusive one.
Another scenario: A pair of siblings have not sseen each other for over six years, due to college, employment and other life occurences that can keep people apart for some time. They happen to meet in a bar, recognize each other and embrace, then sit down to chat and have a drink. As the evening wears on they find themselves attracted to who and what the other has become (six years can change a person both physically and emotionally, not to mention cognitively). The sister lost a husband to divorce and is both lonely and unattached; the brother has just never had the time to pursue a relationship, not that he hassn't wanted to. But as the evening wears on there's some innocent flirting and, eventually, a kiss. The sister suggests they go to the brother's place and, immediately, once inside they are in each others arms in a fairly passionate kiss. The brother pulls back, saying "We can't do this, sis, we're related." The sister says "Fuck the rules and places her hand on her brother's crotch and he responds. Again, who's the manipulator?
One more: After divorce or death of a spouse afflicting both a brother and sister, the two decide to share a house and save money. Since both are in, say, their mid to upper forties, they each have a sex drive. After a few months of living together in separate rooms, the brother goes into the sister's room, sits on the edge of the bed, and begins talking about how lonely he's been and how much he longs for some sort of intimacy in his life. The sister, listening intently, has been feeling the same way, she just hadn't bothered to vocalize those feelings. After the brother finishes his harangue a sob escapes his lips. In response, the sister lifts the covers to let her brother into the bed. At first they just cuddle in commiseration, but one thing leads to another and a new couple is created. Who should go to jail here? The brother, because he used a sob story to get into his sister's bed, when that wasn't his intention at all; he just wanted to let some feelings out.
I know these examples aren't something that happens every day, but they happen much more often than people think. I can't recall the citation off the top of my head, but if anyone insists I provide it I will do so; a team of researchers published an article with the title (may not be the exact words; again, I'll find the article if someone wants it) DNA Research Demonstrates That Incest is More Common Than We Thought.
In New Jersy, sex between siblings is not illegal, but if a parent is involved it's illegal as hell -- and I'm sure the reason is that which has been mentioned here ad nauseum: parents are in the power seat and easily opens the door to coersion. In my opinion the definition of the word "incest" should be given a narrower definition that denotes what the rest of you have been saying about grooming, coersion, rape, etc.
And no, I am in no way attracted to my sister; I am against government governing our own bodies, whether it be sex, abortion, and whatever else you can think of.

One owner John Deere model number: 7775 diesel skidsteer. Machine has around 3500 hours but the diesel engine that was replaced new from John Deere dealership under warranty only has approximately 1000 hours. Doesn’t need any major repairs only someone who has the basic knowledge on how to get it running after no use for 2+ years. Stored away and kept out of weather. It has been sitting for 2 & 1/2 years but ran Exellent when last used. Bought new machine & was going to keep it for a back up but plan on purchasing another new machine. Machine is a 2000 or 2001 but is a very dependable and powerful machine. Other than the Warrenty engine replaced by my dealership I’ve had no major problems with this machine. Never abused owner operator. Looking to get $11.500 but if you help me getting it running I’m willing to negotiate. It should only take some minor repairs like a battery and some maintenance and possible troubleshooting like fuses, relays etc. & nothing major. Has a factory low profile bucket with removable tooth bar, (Two Bolts & 5 minutes to remove & install.) Has a brand new seat. Photos available on request.
Call and ask for Dave. (781)985-0428 Weymouth Massachuttes, 20 minutes south of Boston off of Route 3 south which is off of Route 93.

In the rapidly advancing world of technology, reliable network infrastructure is critical for businesses to thrive. Whether you are setting up a small office or a large enterprise, having a robust network is essential for seamless communication and efficient operations. This is where Network Switch Suppliers Dubai comes into play, providing the necessary equipment to ensure your network runs smoothly. One of the leading names in this sector in the UAE is Network Switches Dubai.

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My job is managing a computer science program, and this summer I am leading an Intro to Python course. I've also been tasked with purchasing new laptops for the course - something powerful enough to run VSCode and simple Jupyter Notebooks with OpenCV and a live camera connection running. All of our current computers are Windows 11 machines, but it seems like the industry standard is Mac and Linux (I use a Macbook myself). Purchasing MacBooks for the students is likely out of budget, so I'm considering switching the course to Linux machines.
I have only a little experience with Linux, using it as my development environment on a software engineering co-op. How should I go about teaching computer science on Linux? What resources would you recommend? I would love to get my students comfortable with the command line as a skill they can put on their resumes. Recommendations for laptops would also be appreciated.

Hi everyone! This chapter will read a bit quicker due to all of the dialog. As always, comments and upvotes let me know you're still interested in the story.
First / Prev / Patreon
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Once everyone was aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mira seemed to relax a little. Davis and Thompson were chatting away with Vebi and Fennis. Povin still stayed near Mira when the officers were chatting with each other. She felt a little lost now that her services as translator was no longer needed. The winds were much stronger here, and one of Povin’s wings got caught in the wind, causing him to lift up. He reflexively opened his other wing.
“Povin! Remember! Glide! Do not flap!” Mira yelled at him.
“What was that Chief?” Thompson asked.
“I’m sorry sir. Ensign Povin’s wing got caught on a draft. They come from a lower gravity world so if he tries to fly, our gravity will break most of his wing bones and tear through his wing skin. The atmospheric belts they wear can maintain their own atmospheric conditions, but it can’t keep up if they full on fly.”
After riding the currents and getting used to how it felt under his wings, Povin was eventually able to land. He quickly wrapped his wings about himself tightly to avoid doing that again. The rest of the remaining Drala quickly tightened their own wings about their bodies.
“I see. Let’s get everyone inside.” Admiral Davis replied. “Chief Rodreguez, your Captain Martinelli sent over your uniforms.” He called over a sailor who had a duffle bag which was handed over to Mira.
Mira looked a little closer at one of the Destroyer escorts. “Sir, is that the USS Bainbridge I see?”
“Yes, it is. You think your Captain would allow us to come get you and not be a part of the escort? Once we stopped receiving responses, he has called in almost daily to NASA to get answers. Honestly, I was willing to bet that if we denied his ‘request’ to join the escort, he would have gone rogue to be here.”
“I’m not so sure about that. Captain Martinelli wouldn’t break protocols like that. He might have been hailing like crazy until someone gave him answers, but never would he go rogue.” Mira replied.
As she finished saying that a sailor came up the Admiral, “Sir, Captain Martinelli of the USS Bainbridge is on the horn for you.”
“You were saying, Chief?” Davis chuckled. “Maybe you should go take that call. We’ll be in the Ready Room. Come see us there after you have spoken with your captain and made yourself Navy presentable.”
“Yes, sir!” She saluted, received the return salute, and headed to the comms room. In the comms room, she was directed to the receiver. “This is Chief Mira Rodriguez speaking.”
“Chief. It’s good to hear your voice again. Do you have any idea how many calls I received from my nephew? I don’t know how he was able to get people to patch him through so frequently while on duty himself, but he’s very resourceful. I have to admit that. Did those aliens treat you well? And who took down communications like that?”
“Yes, sir. I was treated extremely well. I haven’t had a chance to be debriefed yet, so I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say over comms.”
“I understand. You should be able to say at least if the comms were interrupted by the aliens.”
“Not by the aliens I was with, sir.”
“I understand. Go do what you have to do, Chief. I hope to see you back on the Bainbridge soon.”
“I hope so too, sir.” She replied. The call ended and a sailor took her to where she could change her clothes as well as where the Ready Room was located. Once she was in her khaki-colored Shipboard Working Uniform, she headed to the Ready Room and then waited to be told she could sit. The Flx’usri each had their specialty chairs, and the Drala were able to manage the human chairs.
“Is Captain Martinelli well?” Admiral Davis asked.
“I believe his is calmer now, Sir. However, I suspect he will grill me himself once I am returned to his ship.”
“That sounds about right, Chief. I wouldn’t expect any less of him.”
“Grill? Are you in danger, Chief Mira?” Vebi asked worriedly.
“Grill is slang for question soundly, Rear Admiral. I promise that I will be completely safe with my Captain.” Mira looked around and noticed Commander Morris wasn’t in the room. “Excuse me, Sirs. What happened to Commander Morris? I thought he had survived the assault?”
“I’m sure he’s somewhere on board the ship. When we left to this room, he had been distracted. You know how these ships can be hard to navigate for non-Navy enlistees.” Davis replied.
General Thompson added, “If I had not spent my earlier enlisted time on board Navy vessels, I likely would have also been confused. I always did enjoy the Marine Taxi Service.” He joked. The Admiral gave him a poke with his elbow good naturedly. It was a sign that they had been friends as well as coworkers for a long time.
Admiral Davis explained to the aliens, “The General and I belong to different branches of service. Each branch has a love-hate relationship with all of the other branches. We all have our strengths, and our weaknesses are proudly backed up by the strengths of the other branches. It’s like having siblings. I can tease and make fun of my siblings, but if anyone else does, I will fight them to submission and make them apologize to my sibling.”
“Ah, I understand,” Vebi replied. “I feel the same way about my spawn-mates.”
Fennis cut in, “I understand the diplomate you had intended for us was lost in the conflict. We would prefer if Chief Mira were to be this for us. She has lived with us, and we have forged mutual respect for each other.”
“I believe that can be arranged.” Davis replied after a few moments of thought. “Bureaucracy takes time, and the rest of the Chief’s enlistment will have to be accounted for, but I believe this can be arranged.” He chuckled. “Captain Martinelli will be both happy for you and pissed we’re taking away his highest-ranking Machinist Mate aboard the Bainbridge.”
They began talking and getting to know each other and finally, Vebi asked, “I understand you will need to speak with others to make a real decision, but do you think your people will join the Federation?”
General Thompson beat Admiral Davis to it as he said, “They touched our boats. No one touches the US Navy’s boats and gets away with it.” Davis gave Thompson a small elbow to the ribs showing that the two men were friends outside of their official responsibilities.
Eventually, Commander Morris found the Ready room and General Thompson gestured for him to take a seat. “Now that we’re all here, Chief, how about you give us a full debriefing. Start from leaving Earth.”
“Yes, Sir. The mission started off great. Roger was able to correct course as needed, but the autopilot we were using was very accurate. We were all asleep when it happened. I’m a light sleeper and the pings against the hull woke me up. Looking back, there must have been a harder hit that woke me up first, but at the time, all I heard was the lighter pings. I got up to take a look around and then the alarms went off that we all knew meant to get into our space suits. Once I was in my suit, I realized no one else was in the room with me.
“I grabbed a suit with the intent to help someone into it and then we could go back and help others. They were all dead. The atmosphere in the ship was completely gone and we were no longer noticeably moving. I was staring at either a short and rough death once my air ran out, or if I could fix the life support, I could be looking at a long agonizing death from hunger. I never turned away from a challenge, so I was determined to fix the ship.
I fixed the life support and power at the same time. Now I was only going to face a long agonizing death. It was then that I jettisoned the dead. Hindsight being 20/20, I realize it was the wrong choice. I know that Commander Morris felt I should be able to make a refrigeration room, but if you look at the ship and the schematics, but assuming that I knew I was going to survive and make it back home, that ship did not have rooms that were airtight. They are close, but do not seal all the way. Secondly, I didn’t have the materials to make it so that the air didn’t circulate out of any room I put them in.
“At that time, I fully expected that I was going to die out there. It would take time for any message to get to Earth, time to fabricate a new ship and crew it, and time to get out to me. Time that I didn’t feel I had.”
Davis interrupted. “The seals weren’t airtight?”
“The exterior ones were, but any of the interior doors were not. They used a different kind of seal material, and in some cases, we could see light through a closed door. Even the door that was supposed to be the airlock for if we had to open the exterior door for anything. That one was the best seal, but there were still leaks.”
“Continue.” Davis said.
“I was out fixing the thruster when the crew of Black Hole found me. You haven’t met them, and I don’t think they can even come down here. The federation uses color outlines on their emblem to denote classes of ability to survive on worlds, I guess would be the best way to put it. Black Hole is a Green Class. They have the fewest worlds they can touch down on and survive. It’s based on allergy. If they were to even touch the plants here, they would get hives. The Meteor's crew is a Black Class. They can go to nearly every inhabited world. They might have to be careful of gravity, or if the air quality or temperatures are too extreme for the atmospheric belts to handle. Our world is classified as a Black Class planet.” She then relayed the rest of her journey.
“Do you think we can speak with these other heads of ships?” Thompson asked the aliens.
“Of course.” Fennis replied. To Vebi he said, “If you hail Commander Xuan’rawis, I’ll hail Captain S’sveta.”
After getting their targets on a video call, they both headed over and got their counterparts in view too. “We still have two hours until our nocturnal counterparts awaken. We’ll have about an hour of overlap, and then we will need to rest ourselves.” S’sveta said.
The leaders all spoke with each other, leaving Morris very confused as he did not receive a translator implant. Thompson told Mira she could act as his translator, so she did.
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First / Prev / Patreon

Back in Grade 3 I found this book in my school library and picked it up to read, now unfortunately the school year ended before I could finish the book and I never found it again.
But when I found it online again I just had to pick it up and I don’t regret it.
Taking place in the near future hover cars have taken over the world utilising magnetic technology to sit roughly a foot of the ground. Now hover car racing is the premier sport of the world and that’s when our protagonist, 14 year old Jason Chaser enters the fray with his 12 year old borderline autistic Brother, The Bug (his actual name and he is described as borderline autistic).
The two are a power duo with Jason being the daredevil who can expertly fly the car and the Bug being a mathematical whizz making him perfect as the navigator.
As a racing nerd I was able to give it some leeway but also some criticisms.
For one, all safety regulations are thrown out the window with the only safety coming from the racing circuits end being ‘dead zones’ which catch the cars if they go too far of track. But aren’t present everywhere. The hover cars are fitted with reinforced cockpits and assumably a roll cage with an ejection seat on the side. However the tracks seems to make the sport more dangerous by adding things like ‘demag strips’ which remove power from the mag drives (the things that make the cars float and move, essentially the tyres of the new era) which make the cars crash out most of the time past the speed of sound. Then there are occasionally extra hazards such as a ‘meat grinder’ which is a tunnel that closes in on the driver until only the cockpit can fit. Now as a racing nerd, the governing body of most Motorsports, the FIA would NEVER allow this at 300 KM/H, let alone 800!
What I did love about the book was the use of racing terms, being Motorsport is underrepresented in fictional media I loved seeing terms like hairpin and apex being thrown into the fray and it was great! Another thing I loved was the characters, the good guys were well thought out and had some great character development. Now the bad guys are comically evil, and this isn’t a bad thing given the demographic, spoiler >!i.e a race fixing bookkeeper or a Frenchman named Fabian who uses dirty tactics Now being the book was made for younger kids it was way below my reading level and I saw all the twists coming, this isn’t a complaint per-se because I was reading the book to tie up a loose end more than anything but it was still an enjoyable read and I do recommend it to you if you want to turn off most of your brain and enjoy the vroom vroom of hover cars! It’s also a great book for younger kids if you ignore the swearing (shit being the worst word) as it gives some good life lessons!

Can you imagine life on planet Earth without YouTube, X, Facebook, and smartphones? No, right?
Although these technologies have recently come into the BIG picture, the world in the past couple of decades has significantly changed by them. These new changes shifted us from 'like we used to live' to 'living in the connected world'.
In the world, where organizations operate in the private section, there is a public section and the non-profit sector. These areas are growing and the challenge is to come up with strategies that can drive the firms forward. There is a rising need in every organization for a blue ocean marketing strategy.
In other words, there is a challenge of 'value innovation'. And, blue ocean marketing strategy is the solution.
Here are 4 key trends that you'd like to know, as it happens around us.
Trend #1: Demand For Creative New Solutions
Strategies that worked a couple of years ago are obsolete in today's fast-paced world. Just look at the broad swath of industries that have recently surfaced. In the last couple of years, these industries have been seriously called to task out what once thought was impossible.
They had hardly any time in their hand to strategies to stay relevant and to achieve innovative value at lower costs.
One of the examples is healthcare. Its cost has risen more than 60% in the last decade.
Trend 2: Influencer Economy and Social 'Power Users'
Is it hard to believe that there are more successful people now than ever in the history? But only ten years back, it would still be unbelievable. The surge in social sites, vlogs, blogs, micro-blogs, etc. has become so common that it has shifted the power and credibility of voice from BIG GIANTS to you and me aka ordinary individuals.
Today everyone has access to broadcast their opinion and connect with an infinite number of people. Only Facebook has more than 1.4 billion users to connect and share your story in between groups that are safe and authentic. Around a decade ago, Facebook was just not as popular as now. Take Twitter, I mean X, it has changed so much. Thanks to Elon.
To be a winner, you have to learn from the winner of the new reality. It doesn't mean that you have to get it all at once. A premium offer for your audience should be a good start. That's what gets people calling you to listen to your offering. You can also leverage social media to do it.
Trend #3: Locational Shift In Future Demand & GROWTH PERSPECTIVE
There is a reason why America, Europe, and Japan are taking a backseat when it comes to being the largest economy. Don't get me wrong, America is still the number #1, but China has jumped from tenth to second-largest economy in the world. And, India too has joined the list of the top 10 largest economies in the world.
However, please note that these are two categories of big emerging markets. The previous one had a relatively high per capita income. The new one is still developing. This makes it important for organizations to offer an affordable cost. It's a more critical factor now than ever before! Without this, you as a small business or brand won't be able to unlock the full potential of the demand.
But not to be fooled. Low cost alone isn't just the key factor. These new big emerging markets have a large population and access to the internet, mobile phones, and other tech that raise their sophistication, demand, and desires. So, to capture these savvy customers' heads, hearts, and habits.
Trend $4: The Easiness Of Becoming A Global Player
Lastly, on the scale of a hundred years, the major players came from America, Europe, and Japan. But now this is changing at a remarkable speed. Over the last decade, the number of GIANT from China in the Fortune Global 500 has risen 20x, from India it's 8x, and there is 2x the number of Latin American companies.
This means that these big emerging markets will not only represent oceans of new demand but also represent oceans of new potential competitors with ambitions to touch the sky and go beyond.
The companies from their big emerging markets are just the tip of the iceberg. In the last decade, there has been a paradigm shift in the cost and ease of becoming a global player, no matter where you are from!
With hundreds of websites being created every single minute, any organization can no longer afford to downplay this trend. Today people from anywhere can raise funding, and make a website, and connect with millions of users.
Then there are search engines - aka global business directories and more - that are free. As from a confession of an advertiser, today you can market your offering for free, or with a low entry cost you can become a global player. While, of course, these trends aren't just the passcode to crack the code of becoming a global player. They can certainly intensify global competition. To stand out from the crowd you'd still need to be creative through value innovation.
Today, the challenges and opportunities we are facing are fascinating. These four trends may help you create blue oceans - because it's not just for business - it's for arts, non-profits, public sectors, and even brands.