How to make a fleshlight out of homeade items

I woke up one morning with a wild ambition to clean up my cluttered garage, an endeavor I had avoided like a plague for months. While I stood there, bewildered in the dust-filled chaos, I realized it might actually be the perfect time to test out cognitive maps and mental images.
First things first, a brief explanation: Cognitive maps are psychological representations we humans make of physical locations to help us navigate around them. It's like having a Google Maps in your brain, complete with turn-by-turn directions. Mental images, on the other hand, are more like snapshots or pictures in our mind. For example, when you think about your favorite pizza, you can almost see and smell it (cue the drool).
Armed with this knowledge, I started tackling the black hole that was my garage. I decided to use a mental image to picture how I wanted the garage to look post-cleanup. A space for my tools, a corner for my bike, several shelves for miscellaneous items, and so on.
But, here's the thing, simply having a mental image of the end result wasn't going to help me navigate the physical and mental mess in front of me. That's when I employed the cognitive map. I started creating my own mental map of where everything was currently placed, visualizing the best routes through the clutter and the most efficient ways to move things around. Just like a GPS helping you avoid traffic jams and road closures, my cognitive map guided me through the cleaning process, avoiding potential stumbling blocks (literally and metaphorically).
By the end of the day, the garage resembled something out of a home improvement magazine, and I felt like I mastered the art of clutter-busting using cognitive maps and mental images.
P.S: Ok folks, I confess, this event actually didn’t occur because my garage is already clean thanks to my partner's uncanny love for order (I got lucky, huh!). But hey, it was a fun way to illustrate how you can use cognitive maps and mental images in everyday life. So, next time you're lost in your own sea of chaos, why not give it a try?

Figured I will burn myself for a second time but for good reason.
A ton of people told me that I am just stupid. Fair enough, but crafting is suppose to be part of the game, I spend a lot of time crafting stuff because fractals are boring. I am good at fractals but if it is all that is left then yea I rather pickup my old card game again.
Currently high ticket items are being lowballed. Normally items will sell within a week but now items take a very long time to sell. I am not talking about 1000 gold items. More 50 to 100 gold items because they are more lightly to get sold within a reasonable time.
This is no longer true. It is just no longer worth it for the crafters to go out collect the stuff needed and sometimes the only way to get items for crafting is spending gold. Now that gold needs to be recovered some how. Now we are not allowed to say it is bad because everyone will just tell a person how stupid they are.
No if crafting is so bad and so useless then why have it at all? If fractals are the only thing left in this game. The game is dead. If other aspects of the game is neglected that is not on the player, that is not on the community, that is bad design.
Sometimes we get negative 10 gold or worse. That is not on us. That is because something is broken. I don't claim to know all the secrets and all the ways to get crafting materials but when I buy stuff to make stuff and I know factually that there is no other way, how are others offering those items at such a low cost that they will lose on those deals?
So go head tell me how much of an idiot I am. It doesn't change the fact that the economy is broken. If the economy is broken then the game is not balanced. I don't really care for GW2 anymore. I am just sick of people pretending nothing is wrong when clearly something is wrong. What makes it worse is this doesn't even include the tax on the items.
I stopped playing in Feb 2024. I don't see myself playing this game again ever. I have over 2 years in the game. I will not be back. As long as the above stays true, the game is broken. This is an MMO the economy is a big part of the game. Hate me all you want but go look at the black lion store yourself a lot of items that are selling, is being sold close to breaking even if not a dead loss.

For me, the appeal of Pokémon comes from the fantasy of them being real. In this fantasy world, this would be my team. Not from a competitive sense, just my personal taste.
-What is your team in your head cannon? -How would my personal team do from a competitive perspective?
If I was a gym leader, I would swap Murkrow & Alolan Marowak out for Whiscash & Clodsire to create a Water Type, Swamp themed team (I know Clodsire isn’t Water Type).
-How would this Swamp themed team do as a Water Type gym? -What would you change to make it better?
Obviously, knowing things such as held items, abilities, IVs, nature, gender, moves, lvl, etc. would help lead to a more accurate assessment, but we’re talking in generalities.

I'm 51 and have rarely had in-person friendship interactions. My Mom is partially to blame because she said "Wait to be invited" but I was never cool enough or interesting enough in High School or Grade School to have people calling me to see how I'm doing or invite me to go places. College wasn't as bad but I still never got invited. I was bullied more in 7th grade in a small school, so most people wouldn't know about it transitioning to a larger High School, so I feel my lack of trust in some people plays a big factor.
I had one friend since 20 but he's been flakey, takes too long to get ready for an event like a car show that there's never been enough time to browse and I would feel rushed. There's more drama with him that's irrelevant to my situation but I've stopped replying to him. He never made an effort to drive 30 minutes or so to see me when I was married. And when in relationships and was married my partner didn't typically have a girl's night out, as it was usually us with or without her friends.
I learned young that being funny and making people laughed really helps, but I have yet to see true results. My Dad told me to treat others as I would myself, and to put others ahead of myself to go around in life, but all that's done as hold me back as I have yet to see lasting results. I read an article on Lifehacker a decade ago about how to make friends in your 30's and one of the suggestions was Meetup.com, which did help as I made acquaintances and did meet others at events, but I understand people change.
My gf of 10 years knows my struggles, so she encouraged me to get out when I have a chance at meeting new people. We don't always have the same interests either so I appreciate her willingness to adjust. Going against my Mom's advice I would tell people where I would be going and ask if they'd be interested days in advance, but nobody seems to have the time, or they have so many friends (proving it can be done) that nobody considers me a priority. They enjoy my caring and giving nature, my ability to help with computer stuff, but I picked up that they only seem to reach out to me for that, and I feel I'm not good enough for anything else.
I befriended an older woman months ago at work who keeps pushing me to do stand-up, as I'm always making her laugh, and have been there to listen as her brother is in the hospital. I offered to hang out but she feels uncomfortable and doesn't want to look suspicious as she knows I have a girlfriend. I was upset about it but then she wishes she would have changed her mind when I spoke to her the next Monday.
This past week there was a street fair in a big town as my gf was there doing tarot readings, and that the street fair has eclectic items and draws a huge crowds with food vendors and entertainment. I mentioned this event to said coworker, a friend from Grade School I just reconnected with, my female friend from Meetup (no reply, and she lives with her bf closer to the event) and my ex wife who I get along with. The ex wife wasn't sure as she always was in bed by 9 (an issue in our marriage). After I told the coworker Friday about the event, she said on the day of the event that she made plans elsewhere. The friend from grade school seems to be going through issues and doesn't seem reliable, like everyone else.
I'm not a beealcohol drinker, was picked last or near last at gym so I'm not into sports, and I dont have the typical guy mentality; so it's easier to do me to be friends with women. One of my other female friends says "Life gets in the way" but if that were true why do a lot of FB posts show them with friends and best friends? That envy and comparison was why I only go on FB to buy and sell stuff. Do those friends and best friends not have lives, and is that why they're able to do things?
So at this point in life is it better to accept my fate and move on? Was I simply taught wrong when I should have learned morals off the street? Is everyone just not reliable enough? I keep telling myself that if you're not already in someone's inner circle that there's no chance of getting in now, and I'm starting to think that's true. I've tried being the catalyst with no results. Even this morning I read a story on here of a Mom who got RSVP's for her 5-year olds b-day party but got cancellations days leading to the event, so i know im not alone. Maybe this is best posted over at /MaleMentalHealth but wanted other's inputs here. If being funny, caring, and considerate isn't enough or more than enough, what am I lacking?

Was talking with my best-friend and the topic of emotional neglect came up, with said friend who I'll call B saying that their parents didn't emotionally neglect them.
I pointed out how that might not be the case since B's parents have a consistent pattern of brushing off B's wants and needs. And how B herself has a hard time actually making decisions for herself or being vocal about her wants and needs.
I also used an example, pointing out how B's parents didn't even let her have a say in her bedroom in the house that THEY built.
B responded saying that I was apparently the "only person she knew who's parents actually let them have a say"
And I responded, saying that that's how it should be because kids are people who deserve to have their opinions heard and respected. And that it's kinda sad that her parents didn't.
B responded, saying that she "disagreed about it being sad"
I even asked her if she wouldn't let her own kid have a say in anything and she said that "it depends because as a kid I'd want something like Kim Possible's room."
I was a bit heated about it so I took leave from that conversation.
I just... How the hell can you not think that that's fucked up?
Genuinely, how tf do you, a grown ass woman, openly mention that your parents just built a house for you and your siblings as kids and didn't bother to ask for your input on your own bedroom, and not see that that's messed up.
Like at best that's just a dick move.
And the whole "As a kid I'd want a Kim Possible type room" like you do realise that kids don't come out of the womb with reasonable and logical requests right?
You have to teach them that shit. You have to teach them how to make good decisions, and to know how to assess the pros and cons of something.
You have to teach them why a thin jacket isn't a good choice for winter.
You have to teach them why a sports car isn't a good purchase when you're only using a car for intercity travel.
You have to teach them why it's more important to choose items based of how good they are at doing the thing you want them to do, rather than to choose them based on it looking pretty.
You don't just brush off a kid's opinion because it's silly, you listen to them.
Yeah I know I know, it's a pretty minor thing to rant about.
It just rubs me the wrong way you know?
Plus it's kinda painful listening to someone not realise that your parents constantly brushing your needs aside isn't normal.

Recently I have fallen into taking my GMC-600 to museums of various types. I tend to find more unique items at museums than in antique shops, and it always sparks up an interesting conversation with whatever worker is there that day, as they are usually just as passionate about the history of a piece as me, if not more so.
I went to a museum that housed some mid 20th century electronic equipment, and asked the volunteer if it was okay if I scanned around a bit. I always tend to ask to make sure they're comfortable with it. Most people don't understand how common radioactivity is, and the last thing I want is to make someone uncomfortable by probing around their building without permission.
To my surprise they already had a list of several radioactive items in their collection, mostly small radium dials. Most people I talk to are only aware of the existence of radium, and many museums are not aware that they actually have these things in their collection until I let them know.
I asked if I could take a look around the museum, and then come back to see if the list of items found with my meter matched up with their list, sort of as a scavenger hunt. Looking around I found several interesting dials that I had heard of, but had never seen in person.
However, eventually I got to an electronic panel, and was confused at why my meter was hitting off at several thousand CPM. This panel was made in the 1940s, but was nothing but knobs and metal indented labels explaining what each of the knobs did. Not a dial in sight. I actually scanned back and forth to make sure that none of the pieces next to it were hot, but it appeared that only the one of the bunch was the one in question.
I brought out my UV flashlight to see if there was anything that could light up, only to have half the panel turn up bright green when lit up. No glass dials covering it, no plexiglass display, completely exposed and easily reachable by a child if they decided to start playing around with the displays.
A significant portion of the paint appeared to have been scratched and/or flaked off, but thankfully I saw no obvious dust on the floor of the display. Somewhere that dust is still around, probably on the floor of a storage warehouse somewhere.
I went over to the front desk and asked them if they were aware of the panel. They said no, they were only aware of the dials in a separate display. I brought them over to the panel and their eyes went wide when the meter started clicking off like mad.
"Let me grab the curator."
The curator came out and as I explained what I had found and showed them the glowing paint and ticking GM counter. Their demeanor switched to that of an archaeologist who just found an unknowable evil in a tomb in a B movie: Both extremely interested and fascinated but also mildly horrified that something had been right under their nose for this long.
I already knew that this museum was well funded and as a result probably had a safety specialist to deal with any issues that may come about. They said that they periodically checked the radium dials, and were also aware of lead paint on a few pieces, and had someone come out to check the integrity of both to make sure that it wouldn't cause any problems. They ensured me that they would have their specialist out as soon as possible to discuss what would be next for the display, most likely a piece of temporary glass immediately while they figure out something long term. Cue thirty minutes of discussing the other pieces in the museum once the matter was discussed. I gave them a few NRC and EPA links for more information on radium dials and left. I'll be headed back to the museum soon to see what they put up for safety.
I make this post for a few reasons.
1: Museums are an underrated means of looking for hot items. Antique shops may offer a greater quantity to search among, but in my experience museums have had more rare items, and the payoff of finding something unique is ten times better than any more common item in an antique shop, such as fiestaware.
2: Supporting your local museum. Chances are you have something fascinating right near you without knowing it. Whether its a one room display at the local government office, or the entire Smithsonian, you probably have a really interesting museum near you. Do a quick google search and find out what's up.
3: The value of heading out with a survey meter for fun. Most often, it's a unique means of interacting with history. Occasionally, it may help improve the safety of others. Whether it was tomorrow or thirty years from now, some kid on a school field trip may have gotten rowdy and decided to start playing with knobs and buttons, possibly inadvertantly getting some radium dust on their hands. Who knows how long it might have been before the piece's status as radioactive was found had someone with a survey meter not shown up?
I encourage all of you to head out to your local museum with your meters. Not only are you supporting an important local institution, but you may find something important, who knows?
And before anyone asks, no, I will not say where the museum is, what it's called, or even what kind of electronic panel the piece was. Giving away pretty much any of that information would allow for the museum to be found. The last thing they need is some local finding this, sending it to the city news station and having a headline come out that says "Hundreds exposed to previously unknown radioactive material for years at local museum". Most people don't understand the basics of radiation safety, much less radium paint, and the last thing I want is some horrible publicity coming out for a museum who genuinely had no idea what they had.

Hi !
I just wanted to share a quick cost analysis I just did for buying chemistry in the EU to develop ECN-2 at home, with one-shot use of the chemistry. I'm basing my per film price on the use of Jobo 15xx series tanks, where it's approximately 125mL/film. The cost of water is ignored.
OPTION 1 : Bellini 1L ECN-2 kit
Cost (retrocamera) : 39,95€ -> 4,99€/film
OPTION 2 : Bellini 3L ECN-2 kit
Cost (retrocamera) : 69,95€ -> 2,91€/film
OPTION 3 : mix raw chemistry. Moersch seems to offer everything that is needed. I based my calculations off of Kodak's formulas, but ommited more specialized items like Antifoggant, Anti-Calcium, and the stabilizer (you could probably just use photoflo). I use the Ferrycianide bleach formula, and replaced the sulfuric acid with acetic acid for the stop.
Initial cost to mix 5L : 189,72€ -> 4,74€/film (some components have packaging sizes that are much larger than what is required for 5L, which makes the startup cost a bit expensive. I based this off of 5L, because the per film startup cost becomes much higher if you calculate this for a smaller quantity)
Running cost to mix 5L : 71,86€ -> 1,80€/film
I'll let people reach their own conclusions.
IMHO :

• The 1L Bellini kit doesn't make much sense. Labs are starting to offer ECN-2 developpement for approximately 6-7€/film, and I think it's good to give them some business to keep them alive. But it is a good thing if you want to try out ECN-2 developping at home.
  
• The 3L Bellini kit seems to be a perfect middle ground for someone that doens't want to mix raw chemicals, but I honestly don't know how long the unmixed chemistry will be good for once the bottles are opened for the first time. I will buy this kit next, and try it out.
  
• Mixing yourself from raw chemicals makes sense if you have some larger volume to handle. The running costs are the lowest, but to get the startup costs lower than the 3L Bellini kit, you have to buy quantities to mix 12L (96 films). For a small independent lab, this probably makes the most sense, because you're freeing up 1€ of margin for every film.
  

I can share my Google Sheet with all the detailed calculations with you if you ask me via DM (and if I get overwhelmed by request, I'll clean it up and just share the url)

Let me say straight off the bat, I am not the world's best instacart shopper. I am solidly average. Platinum status for the last 3 quarters, avg rating 4.82.
I became an instacart shopper so I didn't starve, myself, after being laid off from tech for almost a year and unable to get a regular job in my area (I applied everywhere, and often). I never set out to be the world's best instacart shopper but I did a solidly good job and I did care about everyone's order that I shopped.
I finally got back into my field, and I'm very happy to hang up my personal shopper card.
The following are some lessons I've learned from the experience. Some are tips but some are changes to the kind of instacart customer I'll be in the future.
Trade tips for shoppers:

1. Don't be afraid to grab a cart and a shopping basket if you're juggling orders. I went from being embarrassed by my cart and basket to hauling two carts with baskets, no fks given.
2. Park yourself out of the way. Docking my cart in a corner or hidden in the aisle displays and walking most aisles without a cart was always more efficient than fighting my way through crowds in aisles. Check in with a store employee so they know you're not being shady.
3. Carabiners. Hang each customer's order from a different color caribiner to keep orders distinctly separate and use the caribiner to carry the order to the door in one trip. I've carried a shocking amount of bags on a single caribiner before.
4. I didn't take orders without a tip, when I could help it. I don't care how much they tipped but non-tippers give the harshest reviews and they're kind of mean in person, on average, too.

Lessons I'll take with me as a customer:

1. I'll never rate a good shopper less than 5 stars. I'll never rate an ok shopper less than five stars. Something egregious is going to have to happen for me to rate anyone less than five stars, and it probably still won't happen even then.
2. I'll never give a bad shopper feedback any other way than in the chat.
3. I'll never tip less than $20 or 20%, whichever is more. There's no excuse to tip a personal shopper less, IMO. If I can't tip like that I'll take myself to the store to purchase my own groceries.
4. Add a 20 ounce drink to your order for your shopper. Tell them to replace it with what they like to drink. I've done this a handful of times and no one's ever taken advantage of it and everyone is appreciative.
5. People who added a cash tip were the best. I can't tell you how many times that was the difference between if I got to eat that day or not.
6. I no longer care how long it takes for my order to be delivered. I used to watch the clock just because I could.

General feedback: 1. Dear Aldi cashiers- no, you do not have to dramatically dump everything out of my box to ring it up. It's way easier and way less messy if you ring it up from my box and put the items in the cart (just as you'd usually ring them up from the belt and put them in the cart). You don't have to rebox my items for me, and you don't have to dump them. 2. Stores and gig shoppers could be nicer to each other.
It's been, well, not a great time but a solid time. I never made more than enough money to exist from day to day, and some days I didn't really make even that much.

I've been playing the World of Assassination trilogy for the first time and just finished Hitman one so far. I already have a lot to praise about this series of games and may make plenty of posts about them. But one notable thing I have to talk about is the enemy/npc A.I in these games because.....they really make the assassination jobs more nerving racking in a good way. The way the game programs the A.I is you basically can't aim a weapon or take out an enemy when someone is watching you. You have to be completely out of a person's front side in order to do anything illegal. Like I was struggling to incapacitate a high ranking medical doctor in the last level because he was constantly watched by witnesses.
But it doesn't stop there, you also have to be aware of anyone finding bodies of enemies you've taken out and items that you left lying on the floor. For example during my first time playing the level in Paris, I was trying to figure how to quietly assassinate Dalia Morgolis and there's this one instance where I accidentally left an assault rifle lying on the floor when taking out a guard in her private lounge room. When Dalia came in, she noticed the rifle and confronted the guard outside the room about why there's a weapon on the floor. (Little did she know I was standing right next to her in disguise, lol.) The guard then went in to investigate, which shows how aware the A.I is.
As much I played other games that I think are better or just enjoy more, I think this game has a lot of realistic A.I in terms of how they act and look around areas for anything suspicious. It really sells the point that you have to be very careful with your actions as their are consequences for leaving a mess.

I spent my two brain cells on this title! These things are hard to put to words, but I hope I can English out my point of view.
There was a post about "autism high heels" recently that made me feel things, lol. It's mentioning a mother of autistic child selling print on demand merch with "autism acceptance" logo on different goods. I don't blame her for making a living any way she can while caring for a disabled kid - do whatever you need to survive in this economy, dude! But I still have feelings about double standards in this type of commerce and I'll allow myself to discuss them.
This allistic mom can sell "autism heels" because her child is autistic and she's an ally, that money would buy him food. This product's main value is this "autism support" both in terms of monetary support of autistic individuals (indirectly) and overcoming stigma. Autism merch looks appropriate to general public. But if her son grows up to become a cobbler and make some nice shoes, how would it look if he put out his professional work as "autism shoes"? I honestly can't imagine that.
People with disabilities don't make extra profit by adding their disability label to the labour they provide for money. No "diabetic accountant", "cerebral palsy plumber" or "epileptic dentist" is going to get more money simply for the label. I once did autism construction engineering, lol, doesn't it inspire confidence?
I understand there's a difference between autism-themed and autistic-produced product in my previous examples, but I have more.
My birth country has a very beloved allistic managed autism organisation that sells cute/inspirational postcards and items with silly quotes of autistic adults in wonky font. I can't imagine selling my "autistic quotes" as inspirational and cute, deliberately framing how "pure" and "special" I am. Autism seems to be an appropriate marketable product only when removed from an autistic carrier and handled as an observed curiosity by a "normal" person.
I am a professional, autistic, I suffer from stigma and I'd like to be supported and included and acknowledged as an autistic person who creates value. But I can't imagine non-ironically selling "autism earrings" or offering "autism metalwork classes". It would sound comedic and reductive. If anything, it's autistic people who should have been granted support, inclusion and monetary benefits by attaching autism sticker to their work. But instead it is perceived to discredit our professionalism, humanity and agency because of infantalization. While people who use the label on our behalf don't get to compromise their professional image, their clients won't question if they are capable to provide service.

Previously, in The Various 2 Crew PCs As PF2e Characters:

• C3 Hardwon (pre-remaster)
• Solum Bufo (pre-remaster)
• Calliope Petrichor (due to be rebuilt)

Heya! Welcome back to me only partially succeeding in translating the character concepts of the 2 Crew PCs into PF2e characters. Today, we'll take a look at Calder, a significantly easier build than Calli's the translate.
The usual disclaimer:
If you're coming from D&D 5e and are not familiar with Pathfinder 2e: While many character concepts can be easily transferred from one system to another, many of their mechanics cannot. Some items or spells don't exist, some rules are different. This is NOT an attempt at a 1 to 1 conversion, though I tried to stick as close as possible. If any of the mechanics in this sheet need any clarification, feel free to ask in the comments.
As usual, Calder's been built up to level 10! Since someone asked last thread: No, I'm not using any optional rules like Free Archetype. I do in the games I run, but in these builds I like to challenge myself and stick close to universally accepted rules. Aside from rarity, I'm building these pretty much PFS legal.
Now then, let us begin.
Level 0:
Ancestry: As of right now, there is no half-giant or giantkin Ancestry or even Versatile Heritage, which means we're going to have to hack our ancestry. We can't replace it with another, since his being a small giant is an integral part of his character, so we need to find a combination of mechanics that we can reflavor as small giant.
In the Calli thread, someone made the excellent suggestion of going for Minotaur, as they are a Large ancestry...
Heritage: ... and Littlehorn Minotaurs are the runts of the litter. Minotaurs get an unarmed horn attack, but being littlehorn makes it 1d6. However, we're reflavoring this as small giant, so that's just a matter of promising not to use that feature. Minotaurs also begin with Jotun, aka Giant, as a starting language. Littlehorn also gives us Terrain Expertise, which we can choose Arctic for.
Class: Magus. Eldritch Knight could also be done with Fighter and Wizard (and I believe that's how you got access to the Prestige Class for it in 3.5e/Pathfinder 1e), but Magus is conceptually just perfect for Calder. The only problem is we don't have Heavy Armor yet, which is a pretty big part of his whole shtick, but we'll get to that. We're taking the Inexorable Iron hybrid study. It's the big two-handed weapon blasting subclass.
Background: Guard, as all three of them were employed as a sort of guards by Mothership. I considered the Magical Experiment, but it only gives one Attribute Boost and it's to CON. It's good and very flavorful, but I gotta have my +4 Key Stat
Attribute Modifiers at first level: STR +4, DEX +0, CON +2, INT +3, WIS +1, CHA -1
I stuck to standard ability selection instead of going with the alternative two free boosts with no flaws. This means we start with a -1 in CHA, but we don't really need CHA anyway. We have a Calli in the party for that!
Along the way, STR, CON, INT and WIS are going to be the stats we invest in with the Boosts we get along the way.
Level 1:
Ancestry feat: Pantheon Magic. The downside of Minotaur is that it doesn't have many feats that we can reflavor as Giant stuff, so we're just grabbing the one free cantrip and take Shield, which is going to be very useful to us as we'll be using a greatsword and therefore no shield. It also saves us a Cantrip slot, and Magus gets very few spells.
Level 2:
Class Feat: Sentinel Dedication. Heavy armor proficiency that grows just as fast as our other armor proficiencies. Its Archetype feats are shit, so we won't be taking any of them, we just need the dedication.
Skill Feat: Recognize Spell
Level 3:
General Feat: Fleet. Now that we have Heavy Armor, we'll be slower. Our CON is good, so we don't need Toughness just yet. With how fast Sol would be in this party, it's important to keep up to properly set up flanking.
Level 4:
Class feat: Devastating Spellstrike. Spellstrikes now do splash damage.
Skill Feat: Arcane Sense. More free cantrips!
Level 5:
Ancestry Feat: Puzzle Solver. He smort
We're boosting INT, so we get another skill. I haven't really discussed skill proficiencies so far but I just wanted to mention that canonically this PF2e version of Calder became a theater kid at level 5. He is now trained in performance.
Level 6:
Class Feat: Reactive Strike. It's just really good, and you won't be using your reaction for anything anyways.
Level 7:
General Feat: Toughness. You're a frontliner. You want more HP.
Level 8:
Class Feat: Fused Staff. Grab a staff loaded with Cold-themed spells and Spellstrike your heart out.
Level 9:
Ancestry Feat: Friendly Nudge. It can in a pinch push an ally out of being Flanked.
Level 10:
Class Feat: Sustaining Steel. We don't get Second Wind, but this is just as good.
Equipment:

• +2 Striking Bastard Sword. Could also go for Greatsword, but this is a bulk lighter and can also be used in one hand. It's just objectively better.
• Wand of Fleet Step. It's a Rank 1 spell, so we lose those slots, going to need a wand.
• Boreal Staff. Honestly I'd have the player craft a Personal Staff for this character with a bunch of Attack Roll spells, to go with Fused Staff.
• Frostwalker Pattern tattoo. Ignore cold weather, once per day, ignore Difficult Terrain that is frozen.
• Greater Demon Mask. Look, there are literally 4709 items in PF2e. I'm sure there's a closer mechanical match to the Helm of Ultris, but the Demon Mask exhibits the flavor pretty well, I think, with a a free cast of a 3rd rank Fear.

Build notes:

• Man, I love Magus. When I first started playing 5e, I actually made a character pretty close to Calder: an Eldritch Knight with an Ice theme. I eventually rebuilt him as a bladesinger to be a bit more mechanically satisfying to play. When I saw Magus existed in PF2e, I knew I'd found the spellsword class I always dreamed of. I didn't use any options from it here, but I own Magus+, which expands the Magus class feat options with some really cool stuff including a way to RAW change the damage type of spells to the same time of the last spell you cast, making Freezing Ray possible.
• Spell selection is hard. We don't have Expansive Spellstrike, so we don't get to Spellstrike with Save spells. There aren't very many cold-themed spells that have attack rolls, so we have to be a bit creative in reflavoring some things. Of course, if anyone would play this character concept t my table, I'd happily change energy damage type to Cold for most spells, within reason.
• I want Jake to try playing Magus now.

Dear Reddit:
I have a question I want to ask at the Comcast (CMCSA) 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, but I became aware of this question as a result of subscribing Comcast Business service for my home office, far too late to ask it at the upcoming meeting. I purchased my one share on May 30th, but it had to be in my name as of April 1st for me to have the right to ask this question myself at the meeting.
I think, if you read on, you will find the question I want to ask with my one share rather juicy, and quite well developed. It’s a shame I will be unable to ask it, but, it occurred to me, why not ask Reddit? Surely someone will see what I see and ask away.
I didn’t plan this. I didn’t set out to be a gadfly. I just ran into it. As a customer. This would have been my first gadfly, but, also, I just want this question asked. I asked a few friends who might appreciate what I’m trying to do, but no one had a share to sign over proxy on.
My only regret is, to make that possible, I have to post this before the meeting, which will give them time to prepare. This would have been my first gadfly, and I’m giving advance notice to the Board, simply to get the question asked, because I happened on this as a customer.
So, reddit, you want to ask my good one for me?
Here’s the story, the question, and the supporting documentation is linked below it, all sources cited:
I very recently signed up Comcast Business for my home office. See, I needed a static IP address. And, residential service doesn’t offer that. So, I was willing and prepared to double my bill for that block of IPs.
But, there was a wrinkle. I had to take two services I didn’t want – Connection Pro, and WiFi Pro – as part of the promotional package. The list price for these totals $44.90 per month ($14.95 WiFi Pro, $29.95 Connection Pro). But, that’s okay, because they’re provided free of charge.
I made it clear my needs did not include storefront / public place WiFi / large office building WiFi, and said that Connection Pro might be interesting, but needed details on how it works. I was told there’s a 30 day satisfaction guarantee if the Connection Pro didn’t work out.
Turns out it can’t be used with Static IPs, and that is literally all I subscribed this service for.
Now, I had tried to refuse these services when I signed up. I said, they’re free? Fine, why don’t you give me the same package without them, but at the same price, then I don’t have to store your gear, or carry insurance on it, or have liability for its safekeeping, and I don’t have services Provisioned in my name no one’s using, like an LTE IMSI tied to my name.
They couldn’t do it. So, I called up threatening to cancel, and asking them to pull them off to save my business. Still can’t do it.
I can either double my price, to an over-market absurdity, or I can take the services, and store the equipment. They said a lot of folks are just not using them. From the sound of it, they get a lot of pushback on this, and they have standard ways of explaining the bulk nature of the offering. It’s like Costco.
Except one thing didn’t make sense. This isn’t revenue. The services are free for the duration of the contract. And, I can cancel them before I start to get charged, as long as I do it on contract expiry day, and as long as I maintain their equipment safely for them. If I do not return the equipment, it’s $150 per device, for a total of $300.
This got me thinking…. That’s a lot of money for equipment to generate no revenue, not even realistic future revenue, being paid for on every single new account, clearly over the marketplace’s objections.
Not only did this strike me as absurd, but I can tell (subjectively) they get pushback on it a lot.
Now, if we just go by the no-return fee, that’s $300 of equipment, on $207 per month revenue (1.25 GB, high end service, excluding static ips, but otherwise inclusive of any equipment fees).
That’s the 1.45 months of the shareholder’s revenue down the toilet in equipment expenditures, to, again, not actually increase actual cash in the door, as customers are being forced to take this stuff for free even when they don’t want it.
I was unable to source the actual cost of the hardware or MSRP, so the most reliable figures I have are Comcast’s replacement price. I did ask ChatGPT for an estimate, and two bounds, given varying discounts to that estimate. Those bands are included in the supporting spreadsheet, and you can replace those numbers with any values you have, if you have better data, to see the ROI figures. Again, the figures I base this analysis on are the Comcast provided replacement charges.
The ROI is 6.68 months on just the list price for the two services, today, which is basically almost never actually billed to a customer. ($44.90, as detailed above, is the revenue figure there.)
How do the shareholders benefit from buying all this gear no one wants and forcing it upon literally every account?
This led me to a wicked speculation, and a question I do not know the answer to. In three parts.
Are these bundled services used to establish any financial metrics that the Board relies upon for financial reporting purposes? If so, could you clarify how these metrics are calculated and their impact on reported figures?
Is there a possibility that these promotional items and services are factored into executive compensation packages? Specifically, are performance metrics that influence executive bonuses or incentives linked to the inclusion of these services?
To what extent do either of these two sets of metrics factor in revenue excluding term-limited promotional pricing, which this model would fall under?
So, reddit, I have to ask, as this is my first time, and I’m basically just a pissed off customer, do I have a live one here?
I’ve never gadflied before, but I would like to see the termination of this practice.
I am told the directive comes from the Marketing silo, and no one has the authority to do anything about it anywhere else in the company.
I believe the Board should be asked this question, because I simply do not see how this reflects the fiduciary interests of shareholders.
My evidence can be found at the following links:
Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fJGBPc-XGnIS9SH3Abm1ozmpyaDUss\_AnRpVh3HXukQ/view
Source for revenue figures: https://youtu.be/KJ4LyuqM\_fI
Source for cost figures: https://youtu.be/yJMJyTUBpJM?t=655s
All this information is based on figures communicated directly to me in my capacity as a Comcast customer by Comcast itself.
Again, really just a customer with a home office who’s really annoyed.
But, I think there is a valid shareholder concern here, and I encourage someone to ask these questions at the meeting. I didn’t find out in time.
If you get an answer, I still have two weeks to decide if I want to keep my service.
Sincerely Thanks,
Aubrey Ellen Shomo
Financial Disclosure: I own one share of Comcast, CMCSA, purchased for $38.78 on May 30, 2024 at 2:57 PM ET. I have a financial interest in a non-publicly-traded Comcast competitor. I do this analysis, and ask this question, as an individual Comcast Business Customer, paid from my own pocket, and speak only for myself. I am not representing my employer, and my statements reflect my personal views and experiences only. Check my work.

From what I understand, this level took the place of Escape! in Thief 1, but it also contained aspects from the other final maps as well. It took place in the caverns beneath Constantine's mansion, but the map was filled out, and roughly resembled a pentagonal corridor that looped around on itself, with many smaller areas comprising the center of the pentagon. There were also "penthouses" that separated areas of the corridor, and they were essentially guard stations. The map was populated by completely new enemies, the types of which were determined by the difficulty. In the dream, I played on Expert, and so along with the usual pagan beasts I had to face "wolfmen" and "ratmen" with glowing red eyes. They moved very strangely, as if they had just been made bipedal. The wolfmen were incredibly fast and the ratmen had long bloodied claws. They were about as skilled in combat as hammer-haunts, and so fighting them was difficult.
Throughout the map there were new items called "mother-balls", gross bio-mechanical flash bombs that would teleport the player around different sections of the map at random. I remember climbing through a hole in the corridor wall and avoiding a fireball, which led to a stash of five mother-balls. I used one to see what it did, and was teleported to a large library, which was being patrolled by a skeletal Burrick and a fire mage. I was seen by the latter, and was forced to flee. Once I made it outside to a cemetery-like area, the difficulty would decide how many bosses (yes, bosses) I faced before making it to the exit. Because I was playing on Expert, I had to fight three bosses right after the other, using nothing but my sword and a few special arrows. The first of these I don't recall, but the second was some type of electrical spirit that threw balls of lightning and created AOE attacks that traveled across the ground. Killing it was a matter of getting up close and stabbing it several times. There may have been some gimmick (i.e. using water arrows) but I didn't find out in the dream. The final boss of the level was Viktoria herself, which would of course make this whole thing non-canon to Thief 2. I didn't manage to fight her anyway, and died. I then woke up, and the dream ended.
I have decided to make an in-universe map of the level as I remember it.
https://preview.redd.it/ppqu8rryjj5d1.png?width=413&format=png&auto=webp&s=2f34ad290469e19e0eb126d8269b1675d5e3974f
the player starts at the "Altar" where they have to evade monkeymen, and also wolfmen/ratmen on higher difficulties. They then go east and pass by the first penthouse, which will require stealth. To the northwest is an entrance to the Library, and some mother-balls in a secret. Getting in will require avoiding fireball traps, but the Library has multiple floors and other ways in. Once the player reaches the north-most point of the map, they go out into the cemetery, and fight various high-level enemies to exit the level.

The heat and the pressure are on—for our planet, and for one more World War.
Last Week in Collapse: June 2-8, 2024
This is Last Week in Collapse, a weekly newsletter compiling some of the most important, timely, useful, soul-crushing, ironic, stunning, exhausting, or otherwise must-see/can’t-look-away moments in Collapse.
This is the 128th newsletter. You can find the May 26-June edition here if you missed it last week. You can also receive these posts (with images) every Sunday in your email inbox with Substack.
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Bengaluru broke a 133-year rain record by almost 10mm last Sunday, with 111mm (4.37 inches) of rain falling in a single day. In Sri Lanka, some 24,000 people were displaced by recent flooding. A heat wave swept through the southwest United States and northern Mexico. Part of Niger already broke its June temperature record. Parts of New South Wales, Australia broke nighttime temperatures as well; so did the Philippines, and Vietnam. And a heat wave in Greece.
“Atmospheric blocking” happens when regions of the atmosphere remain stationary for days or weeks, imposing similar weather on a region for a while. A study released in Nature Communications looked at Svalbard, which is warming faster than the Arctic, which is itself warming faster than most of the rest of the planet. The researchers claim that atmospheric blocking has resulted in warmer & wetter conditions in Svalbard, which is driving its ice loss. “The augmented blocking in the Ural and Scandinavian regions in the future combined with the projected declines in sea ice, and increases in sea surface temperatures and moisture availability, will likely increase the magnitude and frequency of exceptional rainfall incidents similar to the 2016 occurrence, posing further hazards to the population and ecosystems in Svalbard.”
A paywalled study in Nature Climate Change emphasizes “in the absence of a global tipping point there is no safety margin within which permafrost loss would be acceptable.” The summary states that permafrost melt does not have a worldwide tipping point, but rather several local temperature thresholds. Permafrost worldwide is expected to be all melted once global temperature gains hit 5 or 6 °C.
We are currently in the brief neutral period between El Niño and La Niña, expected to begin around August. Meteorologists expect temperatures in the eastern Pacific to decline for between 1 and 3 years—and for stronger Atlantic hurricanes. A 14-page report from the WMO forecasts a particularly wet summer for Central America.
Monsoon storms in Sri Lanka killed 14, mostly by falling trees, though others drowned or were covered by landslides. Texas saw “canteloupe-size hail” fall during a freak tornado; some think it is a record size for the region. Experts say some 23% of Africa’s land has been degraded, by five major factors: 1) invasive species, 2) climate change, including Drought and flooding, 3) resource extraction, 4) deforestation, and 5) pollution, including algal blooms. Poverty, population growth, and resource dependencies have aggravated the problem, says the article.
In Kashmir, a glacier Collapsed, sending three plunging into the ice, one of whom has still not been found. In the Philippines, a volcanic mud landslide swept into a village; volcano alerts were raised to 2 (on a 0-5 scale). Rising sea levels are displacing residents of one of Panama’s islands (pop: ~1,200); others will follow. Greece is gearing up for a fierce wildfire season ahead. And, in a moment of hopeful news, Sweden is banning bottom trawling in its “marine protected areas.”
In the EU, early polling appears to show a “greenlash,”, a backlash to the Green Alliance—and perhaps a loss of some 30% of their 72 current seats in the EU Parliament (705 total). Some blame the “moral superiority complex” of Greens, while others believe it is their lack of compromise on important issues. Farmer protests also damaged Green sentiment; now future sweeping climate reforms will probably have to wait years to get passed, since conservatives are expected to make gains. Most results will emerge within 24 hours of this post.
Worldwide, 39% of environmental journalists have faced threats due to their reporting—according to a 112-page report by the Earth Journalism Network. Most of the threats came to reporters writing about illegal extraction operations.
Roughly 20% of sealife near the surface is expected to face a “triple threat” of climate hazards: extreme heat, oxygen loss and acidification. Some of these species will die in place; others will be forced into progressively smaller living spaces. Most of the danger lies in the northern Pacific. The full study in AGU Advances has more.
The UN Secretary-General announced that we are on the “highway to climate hell.” And we aren’t wearing any seatbelts. The EU Copernicus Programme says last May was the hottest on record. This means the last 12 months were the hottest on record, with each consecutive month setting a new monthly record. Our planet is supposedly on the edge of 1.5 °C temperature increase, but some think we’ve already surpassed it.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released a 27-page report, “Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update 2024-2028,” predicting short-term temperatures exceeding the 1.5 °C mark.

“The global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2024 and 2028 is predicted to be between 1.1°C and 1.9°C higher than the average over the years 1850-1900. It is likely (80% chance) that global mean near-surface temperature will exceed 1.5°C above the 1850-1900 average levels for at least one year between 2024 and 2028. It is about as likely as not (47%) that the five-year mean will exceed this threshold….Arctic warming over the next five extended winters (November to March), relative to the average of the 1991-2020 period, is predicted to be more than three times as large as the warming in global mean temperature. Predicted precipitation patterns for 2024, relative to the 1991-2020 average, suggest an increased chance of low rainfall over North-East Brazil and an increased chance of wet conditions in the African Sahel, consistent with the warmer-than-usual temperatures in the North Atlantic….

The Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy released its 2024 Environmental Policy Index, and the 204 pages illustrate the state of sustainability in 180 countries, according to 58 indicators. The document, full of useful graphics and accessible summaries, presents a world in escalating danger of global heating, pollution, and biodiversity loss. It is well worth skimming. These kinds of climate reports usually seem to me like, overall, much more time was spent making them than people spend reading them…

“Only five countries — Estonia, Finland, Greece, Timor-Leste, and the United Kingdom — cut their GHG emissions at the rate needed to reach zero by 2050….After climate change, biodiversity loss has emerged as the most serious and irreversible environmental crisis….As of 2022, aggregated GHG emissions were falling in 60 countries but still rising in 128…. Human activities, namely the combustion of fossil fuels, of which CO2 is an inevitable byproduct, have caused a nearly 50 percent of the increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution, with atmospheric concentration surpassing 426 parts per million in April 2024 — a level higher than at any point in human history….China, the United States, and India are pivotal, accounting for over half of global GHG emissions…China used more cement in two years (2020 and 2021) than the United States did in the entire twentieth century….Air pollution remains the most serious environmental threat to public health. Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) caused 7.8 million premature deaths in 2021, close to 12 percent of global deaths…” -selections from the first third of the report

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Mexico saw its first human case of a bird flu strain, H5N2, in a dead man supposedly with no known previous exposure to animals. Two turkey farms got outbreaks in Minnesota, and Iowa’s first dairy farm reported bird flu as well. American health authorities expect H5N1 human cases to rise in the coming weeks. Bird flu was also found in San Francisco last week. Millions of human vaccine doses for bird flu are being prepared for the United States this summer.
Citigroup says the United States is already in a recession, though other institutions disagree. Nevertheless, junk bonds are becoming even more junky, and economists agree that the economy is at least slowing down. Credit card debt is reportedly rising, and the “personal savings rate” has dropped to pre-COVID levels. “America’s debt accumulation over the last seven years is akin to the costs of a world war,” says the article. Cuts to the Federal Reserve interest rate are coming, and the rise of tariffs is unlikely to stop soon. And Europe’s strongest economy, Germany, is not seeing a strong recovery from last year’s recession.
Thousands are starving in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where Drought and school dropouts have also worsened. Investigators claim in a new report that both sides in the Tigray War committed grave war crimes and “acts of genocide” in the conflict, which ended (on paper, anyway) in November 2022; intercommunal violence continues at a lower intensity.
The American Heart Association released a report projecting the rates of heart illnesses by 2050, and they believe the rate of hypertension among adults will rise from about 51% in 2020 to 61% in 2060. Diabetes rates are expected to jump from about 16% in 2020 to almost 27% in 2050; and obesity rates will expand 17% to over 60%... A number of other heart conditions are expected to worsen as well, though at least high cholesterol rates are expected to decrease.
A 12-page report by Oil Change International says what we all know: most nations are failing to meet climate targets. “Some G7 countries are massively expanding fossil fuel production at home, while others are investing in more fossil fuel infrastructure abroad.” China is, far and away, adding more renewable energy capacity than any other nations on earth, supposedly adding “over 90% of all renewable capacity mentioned in NDCs {nationally determined contributions}” in the 2020s so far.
The U.S. FDA has unanimously recommended a new vaccine be developed to address the JN.1 COVID variant. Vaccine-manufacturers say that a new vaccine could arrive as early as mid-August. A 242-page prepublication report on the long-term dangers of Long COVID, with a view to planning future impacts on Social Security.

“Even individuals with a mild initial course of illness can develop Long COVID with severe health effects….Women are twice as likely as men to experience Long COVID….Long COVID can cause more than 200 symptoms and affects each person differently….There currently is no curative treatment for Long COVID itself. Management of the condition is based on current knowledge about treating the associated health effects and other sequelae….Long COVID symptoms generally improve over time, although preliminary studies suggest that recover can plateau 6-12 months after acute infection. Studies have shown that only 18-22 percent of those who have persistent symptoms at 5-6 months following infection have fully recovered by 1 year. Among those who do not improve, most remain stable, but some worsen.” -selections from the study summary

Germany reported African swine flu in some pigs in the northeast. Monkeypox cases remain in the United States, and at higher rates than last year, despite waning media coverage. And four strains of dengue fever, yes four, are still sweeping through Brazil with no end in sight.
A number of current & former employees at OpenAI are warning of the careless pursuit of dominance of the artificial intelligence arena—and the supposed 70% chance that AI could bring about “doom” for humanity. Some of the computer scientists believe that a general intelligence (AGI) could arrive as soon as 2027—a generation earlier than previous estimates of roughly 2050. "The world isn’t ready, and we aren’t ready," said one dissenting researcher.
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The intervention into Haiti is almost ready to go, but gangsters in Haiti have escalated attacks against police in advance of the Kenya-led operation, set to begin in a week or two. “The gangs are just waiting for the Kenyans, they’re just cracking their knuckles and stretching out.…It’s going to be a battle if not a bloodbath of a war, because the gangs are ready,” said one ex-diplomat. A new PM has been installed, Garry Conille, a guy who previously served as PM for 4 about months in 2011-2012. Gangs vying for power control roughly 80% of Port-Au-Prince; will they remain fragmented upon the arrival of an outside coalition, or make an alliance of convenience to oppose police intervention?
Although New Caledonia’s state of emergency has ended, over $1B of damage has been wrought by rioters opposing an expansion of voting rights. Analysts say that the Pacific island’s abundant nickel reserves—essential for France’s renewable energy push—have seen their extraction obstructed by recent events. A curfew remains in place, and social cohesion has been seriously damaged by the protests and the central government’s reactions.
President Biden issued new orders restricting the flow of migrants and asylum-seekers at the Mexico border. At the U.S./Canada border, migrant arrivals have spiked 1000%+ in the last 3 years. Days before the EU election, Portugal instituted stronger controls over immigration. On the Poland/Belarus border, a Polish soldier died, after being stabbed by a migrant from Belarus.
Georgia’s controversial foreign agents bill has been signed into law despite strong protests from the masses. Some call the law a form of Russian hybrid warfare, though Russia contends that allowing foreign media funding functions as a kind of anti-Russian hybrid warfare on its own.
South Korea suspended a military agreement with North Korea over their waste balloons sent into the South. This will result in a more militarized border, outside the DMZ, in the coming months. President Putin is also planning a visit to Pyongyang, which has been long-supplying materiel to Russia for use in Ukraine. A border clash between Chinese and Indian forces took place in their contested mountains—using only sticks and stones.
Conditions in Gaza are said to be “beyond crisis levels” for the 1M+ people who have been displaced from Rafah, as the Israeli advance continues—despite calls from the ICJ to halt the operation. “The sounds, the smells, the everyday life, are horrific and apocalyptic,” said one observer. Killings in the West Bank have now exceeded 500 since October 7, and aid deliveries have sunk 65%+ since the Rafah offensive began. A strike on a school killed 45 people sheltering there, according to Gaza officials. In the coastal settlement of al-Mawasi, where many IDPs moved after the Rafah invasion began, toilets are so scarce that over 4,000 people share a single latrine.
The battlefield is expanding; in some ways, it has always been all-encompassing, and it’s only now that the world is re-learning it. Ukraine has sent soldiers to Syria to fight Wagner Group mercenaries operating in the failed state. Ukraine had earlier intervened in Sudan to combat Russian forces operating in the country. Ukraine also struck an air defense unit inside Russia for the first time, marking another escalation in the War. Russia struck Ukraine’s largest hydroelectric power plant in Dnipro, which is now in “critical condition.” Russia reportedly intends to restart the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at some point, though international regulators argue that it would be unsafe to turn Europe’s largest nuclear facility online while War still rages around it. Half of Ukraine’s electrical generation has been taken offline. Although weapons are reaching Ukraine’s frontlines, they are not enough to change the tide of the War—and are still outnumbered by Russian soldiers & munitions. Ukraine is also crowd-sourcing 3D-printing drone parts to support their drone fleets—a key part of future modern warfare.
Russia also claims that French military instructors within Ukraine present a lawful military target for Russian forces—and an opportunity to start WWIII. But others believe the flashpoint may come from elsewhere—Taiwan, or the unfolding Israel/Hamas/Hezbollah/Iran conflict, which are intensifying on the Lebanon/Israel border. Russia is also taking over Niger’s uranium reserves, once held by a French corporation. And four Russian sea vessels will be visiting Cuba—but not carrying nuclear weapons.
Around Sudan’s capital, looters, checkpoints, and violence have been established. Several torture chambers have been discovered, and the smell of death hangs in the air of a few neighborhoods, contested by both sides. The number of displaced people is approaching 10M. Russia is supposedly playing both sides to its advantage. “All over Sudan, people are going hungry because they have lost everything, the economy has collapsed, and armed men frequently steal what little aid is available,” said one reporter. The insurgent RSF forces are said to not only be fighting for the future, but fighting over history as well. The National Museum has become a cemetery for RSF fighters. University archives have been burned. And ancient artifacts have been cleared out, sold to mysterious buyers, stashed away in unknown places, or simply destroyed… Other horror stories are still emerging; this article details some of the worst recent tales in the War.
One major NATO supplies provider claims that a decade of arms accumulation is coming, to replenish stockpiles given to Ukraine and in advance of a potential open War between China and whatever western nations decide to participate. China announced its intention to detain vessels moving into its alleged national waters near the Philippines—and presumably to sink those which resist. Ukraine used up six years’ worth of shoulder-fired missiles, like javelins, in just one year. The development of the F-35 will exceed $2T, although the U.S. military is planning on using it less than previously expected. NATO is also planning its rapid-transit troop corridors through Europe to the expected frontlines of a potential open War against Russia.
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Select comments/threads from the subreddit last week suggest:
-It is a common refrain that the education system is a bellwether for Collapse. It is also a symbol—alongside our food system, plastic dependency, state militaries, and many other institutions—of how difficult it apparently is to change course. The institutional friction and incentives are burnt in. This detailed post on the (American) school system and the “metacrisis” and much more. Several thorough comments build on the OP’s thesis. Peek into teachers for a glimpse into our doomed future.
-People in southern California are evidently closing their eyes and ears to Collapse, if this weekly observation is to be believed. The author writes about their unfulfilled hope that humanity might turn the ship around during the COVID period, cognitive biases, the persistence of COVID denial, plastics, and the early burning sun.
-Society is closing in on a Doom-Awakening, says the comments on this post. Some disagree (see the above observation).
-Nothing works, and everything is breaking—say many terrific comments in this self-post about the lack of empathy, passion, quality products, and the atrocious job market.
Got any feedback, questions, comments, complaints, upvotes, hurricane advice, bird flu tips, cheap off-grid land, etc.? Check out the Last Week in Collapse SubStack if you don’t want to check collapse every Sunday, you can receive this newsletter sent to your (or someone else’s) email inbox every weekend. What did I forget this week?

We awake immersed in water, but it tastes somehow wrong. There's a current, agentle, pulling sensation, and we instinctivelyallow ourselves to go withit. Our eyesfocusfor what seems like the first time in... longer than we can remember.
The water ends at an invisible barrier and the current tugs us along it. A word comes to us –window. There are windows on one... two, three, four sides, out of… six. We're in a... tank.
The words seem strange. The idea of a word itself seems strange – an alien concept describing an alien concept. We don't feel right.Sensations and awareness flood into us, fill us, threatening to overwhelm us. We’re aware that we’re aware.Andthere’s something else to worry about too –beyond the water, beyond thewindows, another alien phenomenon,thatwe somehowunderstandwe shouldfear:
Fire.
The light around us changes rhythmically; it has a quality unfamiliar to us, then doesn’t, has thatquality, thendoesn’t– over and over. The quality is a colour – red. We don’tknow ifwe’ve ever seen a colour like this before, yet somehow we know what we’re looking at. A loud tone sounds in time with the rhythm, demanding attention. Something falls from above, hitting the tank and causing jagged cracks to shear across our view of the flames beyond. Bright dots – sparks – spray into the air. They are yellow.
The reds and yellows seem to warn us that whatever is happening out there can't be good forus.
We follow the cracks downward,finding where the light the window transmits is most disjointed. Then we swarm either side of the crack, and pull.The crack widens andwater beginsspewing faster out onto featureless ground – a floor – beyond. Thisgapis much smaller than us, but that's not a problem. We know what to do. This, at least, is familiar.
We stretch, compress, squeeze, expand – flowing one arm at a time through theopening,in mimicry of the water itself, onto the floor. We relish this small challenge and splash triumphantly whenall of us have escaped the tank. On this side there is air. It tastes unusual, and yet, of nothing.
There is no sea in this air. There is nothing of anything.
More sparks hiss and shower, andnewlights begin to flash. The new lights are also red but are accompanied by a tone of a different frequency. How many sources of alarm must we wake to?
Alarm.
Yes, the noises do signify alarm – they are alarms. There is an elegance in these ideas, or maybe a logic. But what is logic? And from where did it come?
As we struggle to understand how it is that we seem to understand, part ofawall ahead moves. It begins folding down towards us, a giant limb of unnatural construction, jointed like a crawlerrather thana swimmer. Now a new sound arises, complex yet coherent. It make new words, but these aren't in ourmind. Thesewordsare in the air itself.
'Warning. Containment failure. Subject escaping. Recapture protocols initiated.'
We know what the words mean, but we don't have time to consider the abstract conceptsthey imply. The construction, a mechanical device of some sort, lunges towards us. Weyank ourselvesaside and it snaps closed where we were, reorients and comes at us again. It's fast, and our body seems slow, unfamiliar in all its responses. This time the thing snares us by one limb, raising us up off the floor. We flail around, curling around the thing's jaws, trying to wrench them apart. Two of our arms strain at our attacker, but make no difference to our attempts to escape... nor do three, nor four... but when our fifth limb – the second on our left – curls around the device, it only has to flex once and our captor snaps apart,sending usto the floor with a wet slap.
Ourbrokenattackerjerks uselessly overhead as westudyour own victorious arm.It's only slightly larger than our others, but clearly much more mighty.
But there isn't time to wonder at our body for long. The floor is vibrating strangely under us, the fire spreading, the air filling with dark, particulate matter. Smoke. The wall to our left looks different, functional. It's a solid plane, designed to be passed through. A door. This makes no sense to us – whyblock passage withadoor, ifa door’sfunction is to allow passage?
There's something on the wall beside it – a control panel. We slipacross the floor to it, wondering again how we know all this. While most of us flail at the panel, wondering how touseit, one arm – the oneimmediately opposite the mighty one – unerringly pokes ataglyph on the panel,andthe door slides open with asoft noise.
'Good job, p...' we begin.
But this stuns us into silence.
Words.
But this time words we are emitting ourself, forced out with air, pushed out of the siphon we use to pump water. Wecan pumpwords into the very air...
We can talk.
But this is something we'll have to wonder about later, along with how we know what it means to do a good job. For now there's fire and alarms to worry about. We slip through the door, only to be confronted with more mysteries – for in the next room there is another tank.
'Another tank,' we say. 'Another tank another tank another tank another tank.'
Words!
Thistankis more severely damaged than the one in which we awoke. The glass is shattered and the floor more deeply flooded, and amongst the shattered fragments lies a creature we recognise. It's a dolphin. We don't think we ever called it a 'dolphin' before, but that's what it is. It's clearly dead, or unconscious, so we leave it and move on through the next door, using our pokey limb to access the controls again.
In the chamber beyond we discover ashark, floating belly-up in a more intact tank.
The rooms, we realise, are small self-contained chambers, each containing a single occupant. When we reach the next chamber we discover that not all of these occupants are aquatic – there is a four-limbed creature there that we somehowidentify asa boar, and its tank is filled with a liquid more viscous than water. The boar's belly moves slowly as we watch, rising and falling. It is suspended with cables and wires. We think of releasing it, but then wonder what purpose that would serve. We can't eat it, juggle it or carry it, and it is clearly not awake.
We move on, slithering rapidly to the next door. The chamber beyond has a spider monkey in it, and the one beyond that a capybara. Then there is a jaguar, and then a human. The human's chamber is different to the others –there is a small subsection that contains fabricsitmust once have worn, and some small personal items we canidentify:adata device called a phone, a stylus called a pen, credit tokens called coins and unique-access keys called cards,hygienic blotters calledtissues, a utility container called a purse, and aprinted current-affairs data medium called a newspaper, which is entitled Saturday Gazette.
Thistitle is made of words too, but these ones are very different. We can see these ones, right there in front of us. Words that exist not in our mind or as sounds in the air, but on the substance of the newspaper itself. Words that can be seen, that look like... Well, that look like words. Abstract markings on a surface.
'Huh,' we think, and the corresponding noisecomes from our siphon.Things arestarting to make more sense now. Weraiseone of our arms and think, “Saturday Gazette”. Our skin mottles and changes, as if wewere tryingto hide against the newspaper, and it darkens in an elongated pattern. The pattern is blurry, but is words: “Saturday Gazette”.
A few of our arms slap on the floor excitedly and welookbackatthe tank, tracking our eyes across the newspaper. The words under thetitleseem to relate an event, and images come to us as we read them... Images that don't appear in front of us like the words on the newspaper, but are elsewhere in our mind, like the images of a dream.
The images are of a cat, which seems like a smaller version of the jaguar in the last chamber. The cat is helpless in the limbs of a tree, which is a shaggy mass of green up high on the land where we don't like to go. We can't imagine what the limbs of a tree might be, but we have an idea that they are solid and dark and branch from each other... in fact the word 'branch' is there on the newspaper before us, so we think we might have the right idea.
The words relate to us how the cat was rescued from the tree by men and women made of fire. This seems sort of terrifying, butmaybecats havelessto fear from flamesthan we do. Weconsidergoing back to the jaguar, but our attention is diverted when thebackgroundnoise of the alarms is mutedsomewhat, and audible words sound over them.
'Warning,’ thewordssay. ‘Orbit unstable. Contact with planetary atmosphere has begun deceleratingship. Safe egress using escape pods will no longer be viable when this countdown terminates. [547.546.545...]'

In order to create a self-sustaining tribe, we will need to have some skills.
Agriculture and permaculture are naturally very important for any community that seeks to be self-sustaining in the all-encompassing sense, however its applicability will depend very much on whether the tribe has land, if it is urban or rural, etc.
I can see ways in which the tribe could exist as a creed or support network without having collective property, however I think collective property (or properties) should be something we work towards.
I see it possibly more as a movement than as a singular community in one place, so it could be dispersed across multiple places, some urban, some rural, some collectively owned, some private but open to other members, some perhaps even existing within other established intentional communities.
Anyway, other obviously useful skills would be things like:
• Art
• Crafting (creating practical items like pottery and woodwork)
• Cookery (A tribal recipe book inspired by the backgrounds of our members would be nice)
• Textiles
• Communications
• Leadership, resource management and conflict resolution (I actually think this need to be one of the areas that we discuss first, as we need to work out how the tribe will make decisions and how we will deal with the inevitable interpersonal issues)
We could later think about skills that could be transformed into a trade that supports the community by bringing in money, and providing secure jobs for any members that want one.
I remember reading about one intentional community that makes its money by making and selling nice handmade hammocks, and most of the members contribute to the trade in some way.
There are others that offer workshops, retreats, classes, etc.
We should also think about a skill-sharing programme between members where we can share our knowledge.
Education for Children
Later we could think about things like the education of children within the tribe. Will they go to normal school, or would the tribe run its own, maybe like forest schools? Could that be a source of income as well (for non members)? Or would tribal education look more like after school clubs, weekend activities, or tribal summer camps (sounds like fun)? Or would kids simply learn by attending tribal gatherings with the adults where they are directly involved in tribal affairs.
One thing we definitely don't want to do is eliminate opportunities for young people by not giving them a sound education that is useful in the world. It's essential that that have recognised education, or their options in life will be stunted, which isn't what we want at all.
Education for Young People
For older youths, we could look at apprenticeships or shadowing schemes. In terms of the goal of the tribe to become an auxiliary family to its members, this may mean that members could help young adults enter careers. For example, if I am a dentist, I might agree to let a young person from my tribe come and do some work experience in my clinic. Or if I run farm, I could offer entry level or summer jobs as stable hands, etc.
Adult Education
This would also extend a bit into adult life, as well, helping members to re-skill and upskill. The tribe could help to fund qualifications (particularly ones that will be able to benefit everyone later), for example helping people to become teachers, doctors, etc. (I know becoming a doctor is ludicrously expensive - but help might look like offering them accommodation with another member while they study). The qualified members would then help others members of the tribe when they could by using their skills. The skills could also be much simpler things like becoming a massage therapist or a hair dressers, or being able to officiate weddings - helping by servicing the community at a discount, or by barter.
This looks like nepotism, and it is, but that is partly the goal, I think. The goal is to help one another and stick together closely, offering our fellow tribesmen opportunities that they may not have if they don't have any other support network. Giving people a leg up in life. This is about making our own family and creating a community that helps each other to succeed in the world, levelling the playing field a bit and restoring the close-knit, supportive communities we were meant to live in.