Look at steph man so inspirational

An aging artist pontificates over the utility of his art in a place of perpetual war.
Under a month-long lockdown in Kashmir, the streets are deserted, the stone-throwing protesters are locked away in their homes, and winter is settling on the valley. In a dialogue with himself, an aging artist creates the illusion of company while he pontificates over the utility of his art in a place of perpetual war. The dialogue deepens as the artist’s mind digresses between legends and newspaper headlines, pondering the creative ways the people of Kashmir carve out freedom in the interstices of spaces that imprison them.
Originally published by Mountain Ink, the story explores the resistant possibility of art, imagines a moment of isolation, and subverts it in its execution

He was losing count of the days now. It was a month-old lockdown and the September sun had just begun to smile readily at the mountain peaks.
“What day is it today?” wishing to be ignored, he almost murmured.
It was Tuesday, September 2 in that year of warlike situation.
“Word has it that the taskmasters desire people to lose count of the days and sooner the better, for it would be less embarrassing to justify this forgetfulness.”
“No, no! For Heaven’s sake, no, don’t call that forgetfulness.”
“What else if not forgetfulness? I am already losing count of the days.”
“So what?”
“Fatigue has already entered my spine. My vision is becoming blurred. I am getting sick.”
There was nothing to act on. Sunlight already appeared growing weaker and the chill in the mornings and evenings had made humans return back into their skin, to remember that it was time for a change of the season. Yes, the summer sun has shifted its glance. There were no more vertical sun rays gazing at the deserted streets. This year stones were missing from the streets.
“Are the stones cleared away from the streets?”
“Where from? The streets that wind along the lake and disappear in the forest?”
“I don’t care where. You know what matters are the missing stones or more likely preemptive disappearance.”
“Indeed, what must matter is the absence of the stones.”
“Absence and disappearance are two distinct states, aren’t those? Artista, you are a free man who doesn’t have to risk anything for the arrival of his expectations. You, I know, are waiting for the leaves on some trees to fall and to turn crimson on many others. You do not have to pretend to be self-unconscious to the fatigue so you could feel the numbness of silence of whatever surrounds you. You are waiting for the stones to hurl into the air so you can clench the textures within your color palate. You rather wait for the sun to change its direction and that explains to me your indifference to the night sky to reveal the secrets of peace unto you. You count the hues that are embedded in the seasons to give directions to your thoughts and capture the moments of sadness.”
“I do not wait for the crimson to smear the streets for the emancipation though you understand me as a free person. I am no more a believer in dreams and I know that someday I shall leave forever to dream my great dream. Waiting for the great dream to come true or as you like to understand it, the arrival of my expectations, I am tied to that moment in time that shall comfort me from my bondage.”
There once lived a woman amidst erudite pandits who refused to die. In her youth, when she would rest down to eat after completing the daily chores nothing would take her by surprise then. She had realized that her wait to take the infinite inside was not far. She sang about the darkness that surrounded her only in the wilderness. She defined the void. She bore no children and marked in her verses the certainty to meet the infinite and pass on in peace from here unto there. Every night she washed the stone hidden underneath the crust of rice served in the bowl for dinner. She left behind the stone for the young.
**Hond maaran kina kath Lalli nalwut tsali na zanh*"
(Whether they killed a big sheep or a lamb it was all the same Lalla had always got a stone to eat).
“Bring me those diamonds bedecked in the sky. Rise to the sky and snatch not one but all those tiny stars in an entire vault that shield your land from anonymity.”
“I do not wish to wither away in void nor lose my way across the vast deserts. Journeys across would become not just difficult but impossible without those dimly-lit stars in the sky. Aren’t all landscapes grief-stricken? What would become of the landscapes if the horizons as well were measured and guarded?”
“You sound utterly eccentric to disregard the light of the day that guards us all. There is nothing to help you but to do away with this ridiculousness.”
“Death catches those young by the tail of the daylight. There is nothing solemn to bring oneself in loving the light. I have nothing left but my small indifference to offer. At least there is nothing doubtful about this smallness like many of those impressionist strokes, at chance, that create an illusion of ecstasy. I struggle to handle the landscape without striving for the exotica. Landscapes without humans cannot become a site for self-reflection.”
“Why don’t you paint the arrival?”
“There is no shade on my palate that could help me prophesize. It is impossible to paint that which doesn’t hold me. I cannot paint certainty.”
Nothing would be worse than a political discord that generations wriggle against and wither away with. There was a land of valleys up in the Himalayas believed to be of saints and demons. In “Abduction,” painted in the year 2005, a demon carries away a piece of a mountain — that led to a series “Whose Kashmir?” This strife is neither ahistorical nor sacred. Yet there are stories in the beginning when there was no time. The water that filled up the valley was emptied so the demon could be trapped and killed to end the conflict forever. Demon was driven away yet the water in the lake remained. Troops after troops were washed away ashore on the land. The journey through mountains in search of permanence and certitude continues
“Who owns the strength of character to resolve the strife?”
“Theories nurture cults. At times resolutions are created only to morph imagination into images that speak something beyond any resolution. Landscape is not a passive player. The harder it gets to paint, the easier it is to be consumed with nostalgia. To paint a landscape has become an agony.”
“Artista, you mix up everything to get confused. These are not days to stay confused leisurely.”
“Who has lost count of days? I, who is incapacitated, either to grieve the loss or to bear the burden of not feeling forgetfulness can’t be more astute, clear-sighted, and regimented than this. I live on that street in the city, which is openly exposed to the dogmatic gaze however isn’t threatened with what I do. I paint the banal and possibly could survive in the worst of the conditions, which is boredom. My remorse will anyway kill me soon. Yes, I mix. I mix colors to grasp the shade that discloses the anatomy of illusions.”
“Artista, is it you alone for whom illusions bespeak of truth or is it me who sees confusion not separate from illusions. Illusions lure you into believing that you can’t grieve over the loss and the disappearances. It’s been a while now that we are living in a state of deception and absolute vulgarity.”
“Well then, this is not the first time that the enforcer has tuned in to portray the nakedness of its presence vulgarly. Everything is equipped. How must one imagine a landscape bereft of fatigue figures marching up and down every day? Interestingly, the landscape has turned those prowlers significant for the game that was shaped, of late, seven decades before.”
“And do those prowlers know anything about the determination to choose for the self? Over the years, such will is invalidated. How then must we understand the desire to be emancipated? Have you got any map to look at, to paint a landscape?”
“When I was summoned to prove my being, oddly I forgot my address. I was numbered as an incorrigible reprobate. All efforts to paint a landscape were labeled as a ploy that possibly could threaten the syntax of the sovereign self. When I was executed, that bored wound was stamped as the void. And as I survived after throwing up the clot, my discharge from confinement was realized only after I agreed to sign an undertaking that I shall be a regular reporter of my case. It was called detoxicating progress. You see, the stamp out stink takes a lifetime to go.”
“Now that the autumn is approaching, you might pack up your color and brushes to paint the landscape of this wailing vale in all possible shades. I remember you painted landscapes earlier with much pleasure and ease.”
“I have lost the temperament to paint!”
“Don’t forget that your hallucinatory will could turn the upheaval inside you into spite.”

https://www.guernicamag.com/the-final-landscape/

Credit goes to u/SpacePaladin15 for the Universe/setting
Memory transcription subject: Ambassador Asla of the Oph'lik Continuity
Date: [2 days after contact with the Federation]
----------------------------------
I slithered through the streets of Oph'la Senar, two basic service drones following me form as I approached the Council Office. Recent events had made it to where they couldn't conceal their presence for longer and so they needed a diplomat to entertain the Federation while they prepared for the worse. Due to this, I was lucky to receive the 'privilege' of initiating 'first contact' after Brinink discovered us.
The Council Office loomed above me as she drew closer, several smoothed channels allowed for individuals to ascend into and out of the white building. Several shallow indents had been constructed outside as to allow the general public to relax or wait for speeches. As I reached the threshold, my long body slid over the smooth surface of a channel, toward the large wooden doors.
After a minute of slithering I reached the top, revealing the forms of several Ophidite Constructs, sets of rings connected by thin beams of energy. The basic AI controlling each one bowed an onyx serpentine head slightly as I entered.
The inside of the building was a mix of smoothed, brown floors and spiralling tubes to grant access to higher floors. Passing several circular doors, I arrived at the assigned room, inside the Head of Diplomatic Events would be seated. Taking a breath to steel my nerves as I approached the portal, it dilated like an old camera shutter to grant entry.
Tiros was curled behind his desk, dark green scales coating his form with a lighter shade for his underbelly and a zigzag pattern down the sides of his form. Looking at her, my breath hitched in my throat, a small pit of anxiety weighed me down as I settled into a seating indent. After a moment I flared the crest around my head slightly, grey under scales showing in a form of acknowledgment.
"Good evening, Ambassador Asla," Tiros spoke, a deep voice that felt like it could echo through her bones.
"Good evening, Head Diplomat," I returned, relaxing my crest while speaking, it was annoying to say 'Head of Diplomatic Events' so most just referred to the position as 'Head Diplomat'. Using his tail Tiros opened a draw and grabbed a holopad.
"I take it you know the basic of your assignment as our representative?"
"Of course, maintain peace with the Federation."
"Yes, but I doubt the Federation will leave us alone, so should they force us to join them you are to force them to accept certain... terms." A mischievous glint glowed in Tiros' emerald eyes, his tail opened a file, labelling some of the terms should we have to join.
It was basic things, prevent them from seeing what we ate and avoid sharing tech were the main ones. Our tech was more advanced on average but most of it was expensive and low in number apart from basic drones. My main concern was hiding what we ate, we were omnivorous but the Federation wouldn't care and would declare us a threat if we consumed any meat.
"Okay, but what if they make us join the war against the Arxur?"
"The Arxur consider anyone in the Federation an enemy but they are also far enough away they will ignore us for now. Therefore, our main concern is limiting the Federation's intel on us and to at least appease them long enough to work for an alternative."
"Yes, Head Diplomat, where am I to meet the Federation diplomat?"
"I've informed them to meet on one of our star ships, specifically the Drassus Scale. It's currently docked at the space port, so I recommend you board immediately since the meeting will occur in around a week's time."
"Of course, thank you sir."
Turning to leave the room I slithered out and down the hall, my two drones walking beside me. They weren't the most complicated things by our standards, they lacked the unique design of Ophidite Constructs. Only real point of interest was the fact that most basic drones walked instead of slithered since it was expensive to make them move like us.
I hope this meeting is worth it, after all I don't want to waste a week off world.
--------------------------------------
Universe belongs to u/SpacePaladin15
First Previous Next

I've just started learning Viking weave and I'm not sure if the wire I'm using right now is the best option but I don't know much about wire. It's my first time really working with it so I thought I'd ask the experts. I just grabbed 24g wire from the craft store but working with it now I'm struggling with getting neat loops because the wire is suuuper soft and pliable so everything looks lumpy and trying to bend stuff back into place just makes it look lumpier. I know its probably in part bc I'm a beginner but I've been at it for a few days now and it still looks the same as when I first started. in places where the wire is bent too much it will also break. Is there a measurement of pliability? I know to a certain extent you want pliability but I'm wanting just a tad less so the wire doesn't bend randomly where it's not supposed to. Any recommendations or tips would be appreciated!

Intro I work in London, England, as a psychiatric nurse.
I have been divorced for 3.5 years.
I am a 38 year old male.
In my final year of finishing a BA in Law from Cambridge (or what you North-Americans call a ‘JD’). Stats Height: 180cm Weight: 98 kilos Female in question would be about 168cm-175cm Situation So I have been working on the same ward as this girl for the last several months. (I only work there on a part-time basis, 4 days a fortnight, because of my studies.) She is a junior nurse who has just started her second year. I do not know her exact age, but I am guessing it is within the ballpark of 23-25. We work together a lot, since both of us prefer the early morning shift. We talk and converse with each other all the time, but it has always been strictly platonic and professional, or so I thought. It is mandatory before the end of a shift, for two nurses to do a drug count of all the addictive drugs, to make sure everything is accounted for and nothing has been stolen. One day she calls me over to do the drug count with her, as we are talking and engaging in general chit-chat, I notice she has been smiling and giggling throughout most of our conversation. I thought it was a bit weird, but did not give it much thought, as I just assumed it was a young early to mid-20s female thing. Suspicions
What really got me thinking though, is the last couple of weeks I have been working there. Four things happened in pretty quick succession that has made me ponder: We start talking about our work roster and pay, and then seemingly out of nowhere, she mentions that she lives by herself, has no children, and has no boyfriend, giving her plenty of opportunities to ‘save money.’ We were talking about our pay as nurses and how over-time is what makes things worthwhile. What she said didn’t really gel with what we were talking about
​
I start singing a random song I heard on the radio on the way to work, not knowing she was around, and then 15 minutes latter, she compliments me on my singing. At first, I thought she was being sarcastic, because I cannot sing for the life of me and nobody has ever complimented me on my singing, EVER. I reply humorously “Oh geez it is not that bad is it?” and then in a serious tone she says “No it is good, I wouldn’t say so otherwise”. She gave me a compliment for my singing… That’s a first
I catch her glancing at me every now and then
She laughs at my crappy jokes. More so than any other girl. Conclusion and Feelings
Because of all of the above, I am starting to get the impression that she likes me and is waiting for me to ask her out. However, the other voice in my head is telling me not to be stupid and think such silly things, because she is way too good-looking and young for me, and if I have misread things, it’ll make the work environment awkward and I could potentially be facing a sexual harassment claim. The divorce as well too, has left me pretty devastated and my self-esteem has been quite low since then. I have this constant voice on rewind in my head “Who in their right mind would want to date an overweight 38 year old divorcee?” What do you girls think? Do you think she wants me to ask her out, or am I just over-analysing things?

A ship thought to be lost at sea suddenly reappears a few miles offshore after many years. The ship’s owner looks to hire a crew to investigate it as discreetly as possible and recover any valuables that may still be aboard… in particular, there’s a certain old iron lock-box he seems rather anxious for you to find…
Come join veteran GM Ryan McLaughlin, of Katabasis Gaming, and our band of questionable characters on this haunted swashbuckler of a one-shot!
All of the “booty” will go to support two amazing charities using tabletop role-playing games to make a difference in people’s lives.
This voyage is rated “Arrr” for language, adult themes, violence, and mild horror, so please be advised that if these things make you a bit “sea sick,” you are encouraged to pass the invite along to someone you may know who would enjoy being a part of the crew.
https://fantasyguildhall.com/product/the-wreck-dnd-5e/

I was kicked out a few weeks ago. But allowed to stay in the house. Just told I need to leave as soon as I can. Which is I guess as nice as my nmom has ever been to me. I was trying to stay and save money because my nmom practically forced me to give her my entire paycheck every week. But that’s not an option anymore. I started looking for apartments and they all have crazy waitlists or insane prices. But I found about 3 that I can afford and out of the 3 I absolutely hate 1 of them so I’m hoping I can maybe get into one of the others. I started packing up some stuff like clothing and bedding I’m not using or craft supplies. So that when I get a call I can get a unit I can leave as quick as possible. I still need to find some more boxes and list a lot more things on Facebook marketplace. I’m still proud of myself for trying to do this with absolutely nothing and no help from anyone. Just hope that it goes well haha. I called around and the waitlist for the units I like are between 3-6 ish months so that gives me plenty of time to save and get ready. I’m so ready for the day I don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn to clean her messes, or wash her dirty panties, or do literally anything for her. I want to take her out of my phone and go no contact and I’m so close to being there!
I even got new insurance and got a friend to help lower my car insurance rates so I can try to save a little bit more each month.

So my gf has always been fan of this dates when we are at her place/discord and she just plays videogames (usually one player) and I'm just at my phone looking at memes or something, she says that even if we dont interact she loves to do that because she feels accompanined and nice, I honestly just feel alone. Yesterday I felt super uncomfortable because I started speaking about a shoe I really liked and at one point she just ignored me because she was playing, she noticed it, apologized and told me to repeat what I said but I just felt embarrassed to repeat 5 minutes of what I said. I have talked her I don't really like this interaction but I don't know if she truly understands that it is actually getting really uncomfortable for me. It's difficult because we do have normal and sweet dates most of the time but the times this happens it's kind of difficult for me. Am I wrong for not enjoying that interaction? Or what can I do to make it more comfortable?

I am talking about ships so weird that you never even imagined someone could have the idea to write them, and after giving a try you were like « That actually works ! » or « No, no that’s not it ».
For example yesterday I read a Yashamaru/Kisame one shot (I was looking for fics where either Yashamaru or anyone else flee with Gaara) and I was surprised with how much I liked the ship at the end.
Someone also promoted here a fic about the Aburame clan with Kankuro/Shino (?) as a pairing (if I remember correctly) and I also really liked how the story turned.
On the other side I stumbled on a Shizune/Itachi fanfiction and it was so bad, like both of them were totally OOC and also they had secret children or something like that ? This is the sort of fic that you usually find on Wattpad.
Finally, I read a Itachi/Iruka fic and while not really bad it was really too much weird for me. It was some sort of time travel/reincarnation fic but not really and somehow Itachi was still an adult but in a child body while Iruka was an adult physically and mentally. I will be honest I didn’t really understood the whole thing especially that Itachi and Iruka don’t have that much of an age gap to being with.
To be honest I absolutely love weird ships, especially when the author try to make them work with their canon personalities, so naturally when I see one I try (I won’t read big age gaps if the age are not changed though).

If you are in a relationship and your partner gives you the ick, but you do not want to break up then this might relate to a Fearful-Avoidant Attachment style.
In essence, the ick is a protection mechanism. When someone gets to close to you, you begin to feel way too vulnerable and so the ick is a way for your body to protect you. This might urge you to break up with that person even though they have not done anything.
Sometimes a person might act in a certain way which if you acted that way previously you would be rejected for, shamed or humiliated by.
When you are Fearful-Avoidant you project a lot on other people. You want the other person to just naturally know the rules that your world abides by. Though, these rules are not truth. Humans are quirky beings. It is okay for someone to do or say things that feel unsafe to you.
The more you feel you will be accepted for who you are and the things you do, the less the icky feeling will appear.
The info in this comment comes from this video. This video offers some more information I did not specifically mention. If you identify with what you just read then it is wise to take the time to watch this video.
Additionally, there is a very informative and very insightful hour-long video which perfectly describes the Fearful-Avoidant Attachment style, how it differs from the other styles, it's background, context, patterns, signs and implications.
Disclaimer: Initially when fearful avoidance was identified, it was recommended that Fearful-Avoidant people should not be in relationships at all. Ever. They were considered too broken and too damaging to other people. It’s only pretty recently that there has been progress in ways of healing a Fearful-Avoidant attachment style. Consequently, it can now be fully cured through therapy. If you suspect you have a Fearful-Avoidant attachment style or other and it is causing you much stress and pain then it is very wise to look for professional help.

Upon rewatching, equipped with how things turned out, many things are obvious now that weren’t with original airing. Robyn’s pregnancy with Solomon was a pivotal factor in the family dynamics changing. At his birth, a few things stick out. We know that Robyn likes to mimic and belittle her sister wives. She made a big deal about telling Meri privately, something Christine said she did every time out of respect, so she could process it. When she was talking to the camera about the birth, she said her body was designed by God for this, some a woman shouldn’t have to rely on Pictocin or an epidural to give birth. She blatantly calls out Christine’s birth of Truely. Another thing she grinds on about throughout the show is Hunter’s reaction to her pregnancy announcement and true to herself she brings it up again, how hurt she was, but this time includes Paedon in the pity party. Saying that Paedon now has to accept the fact that she’s not just his dad’s wife, but a mom in the family. Robyn goes on and on about she believes Solomon has a big job to do because she thinks he’s going to unite the family and be everyone’s son. I didn’t realize why she made such a big point about that idea until I rewatched S4E2, Kody said when Logan was born, he brought all 4 of the adults closer together, because they had this special boy in common! 🤯 The picture above is Robyn’s reaction to Janelle saying she probably wouldn’t get up in the middle of the night to come see the baby. This bothered Robyn because we all know the whole family went to visit Truely in the night. The space of these 2 seasons, you see Meri becoming submissive to Robyn. Meri also talks to the trainer about all her stress and anger. You see Christine being forced to apologize to Robyn for her mistreatment. You see how excited they were, especially Janelle, at opening a fitness center and then all of a sudden it’s dumped for MSWC, Robyn’s dream. This is also when you see Robyn becoming the Kody interpreter to the OG3! He starts looking more at her for confirmation during couch interviews. So these 2 seasons are where the wheels really start to fall off 😐

Brother is complaining of low WiFi connection at the "Gaming Setup" location in the image attached. It may be because there is a bathroom, washer+drier, and fridge between his setup and the current ASUS router+WiFi. The house is about twice the width of a 'regular' two-car garage.
We tried using the ethernet-over-power adapters but for some unknown reason it does not work for the location he's at. I tested with other places in the house and get somewhat of a slow connection.
Unfortunately, I'm not handy enough to run an ethernet cable. I was thinking the next best thing is to move them to an Omada + Mesh setup also so I can remotely manage the network if needed.

• What would your (mesh) setup look like for this scenario?
• Are the "wall" APs mesh-able?
  • If so, can the Ethernet ports be used if they are in mesh mode?
    • If so, will ap-to-ap mesh + wired ethernet give a better internet/gaming experience than WiFi + AP only?

Idea 1:
Internet area = ER605v2 + OC200 + EAP610
Down the internet hallway around the kitchen island = another EAP610
Study = PC over WiFi
​
Idea 2:
Internet area = ER605v2 + OC200 + EAP610
Down the internet hallway around the kitchen island = another EAP610
Study = EAP615 wall + LAN to PC
​
Thanks in advance!

I'll preface this by saying that i need to believe this,if i dont ill be too scared to make my own choices in deltarune,probably not even playing it because i would feel bad.that said lets continue
The "we forcefully take control of kris" explanation is the most used in the fandom,i disagree,i think we are kris,all the taking souls out,and opening dark fountains is another entity,one thats just barely powerful enough to act as soul,thats why they move weird when we are taken out,thats why they put us back in,as to not raise suspicions.And no one(in game) mentions kris moving differently,less like a zombie and more like a normal human,so theres that.
Theres also the piano in the hospital,that kris cant play,but the narrator (which is probably kris) says that "its missing all the good keys".but ill take it a step further https://deltarune.com/kris_dreemurr_kris/ It's funny... there was a time when they were coming over almost every day.
We'd play, and we'd play... then after a while, they would suddenly get very still, like they were remembering something.
They'd go into the dining room to "get a snack," then after a few moments, I'd hear the piano.
The first few times, I went into watch them play, but when they realized I was looking, they'd always shut the piano and come back.
So over time, I just started staying on the couch in the living room. I'd lie there, listening to them play, sometimes for hours, sometimes even until I fell asleep.
Even then, what were they thinking about me?
Maybe they weren't thinking about me at all.
They didn't have a piano at their house, so they probably just came over to use mine.
Even then, with my eyes open, there were times when I wasn't even sure if we were friends.
But when I closed my eyes,
it felt like a concert just for me.
They dont have a piano at home,so where and why would they learn how to play?

then after a while, they would suddenly get very still, like they were remembering something.

Maybe kris isnt the one playing the piano,maybe some other entity took control,one that can play the piano.
And finally,why does kris have a history prior to deltarune,that probably is one of the easiest,sumply put,sometimes,even silent rpg characters have history prior to the game,take ren from persona 5,link in almost every game.
Overall,i really hope we are kris.
But thats just a theory,A GAME THEORY

19M, no medications.
Yesterday I woke up with red eyes with a lot of mucus (could barely see before I washed it off) and was enduring it, thinking it would get better (the mucus was forming constantly, all day long)
Today it got worse, eyes more red, itchy, eyelids were glued shut when I woke up, vision is considerably worse (blurry, glare when looking at lights). Couldn't bear it no more, so went to ER.
There I got diagnosed with bacterial conjunctivitis and was prescribed antibiotic eyedrops. I didn't ask anyone about the sight issue and getting and answer now is not possible. (Not a reason for ER, an eye doctor visit would take a week at least)
So, I wanted to ask, is vision supposed to get worse? When can I expect it to improve?
P. S.I had a strong fever a few days ago and my throat is still sore, idk if it changes anything, forgot to mention it in the ER.

My (28F) boyfriend (31M) rarely texts me back. We live together and have been for a couple years, but he never texts me back. Sometimes it will take DAYS for him to reply. And usually it’s because I’ve asked him if he saw what I sent him. It makes me really upset because I always see him texting back other people and sometimes I catch him looking at girls on Reddit. Why can’t he text me back? He takes like 30 min shits, but can’t text me back? Do you guys thinks it’s because I’m super boring? So he doesn’t know what to say back? I’m honestly just tired of it , i guess. But idk. I’m not really pretty or skinny so I understand why he would do that. But is it normal? Is this what every relationship is like? How can I make myself interesting? Is there any articles on this I can read? Thanks!!! (I try to only text him one text or one meme at time to avoid being too annoying)

I'm looking to increase my performance with some game. Such as Tarkov, Hell let loose, and Squad.
Here are my specs I play in 1080p on a 75hz monitor. Intel i7-9700k RTX 2070 32gb RAM Noctua Dh-15 for cooling
What would be the most bang for my buck upgrade for my system? I notice FPS drops and sometimes fairly poor performance. I'm no PC expert at all. So I want some people with more experience that can guide me in the right direction.

I know there are a lot of questions like this one, and I have looked through a few, so I suppose I am looking for something a little different.
For context: I am nearing the end of my PhD in pure mathematics, with my viva in August. Concurrently, I am teaching at a secondary school (in the UK), and additionally have 2 more years secondary and 2 years higher education teaching experience. I'm looking to move away from teaching as I find it can be quite stressful given the relatively low pay.
I'm wondering about my next options. Of course, teaching and research have a lot of transferable skills, and I'm not overly concerned about being able to find any old job - for example, I have already been successful in one role (Graduate Trainee Accountant) which I have turned down due to the salary offered.
My job search has been primarily based around using graduate job posting boards. I am starting to think this is a bad idea as, with my PhD and teaching experience I have a bit more going for me than your average graduate, whereas based on my recent experience with the role I turned down, I don't think employers value this when I am applying for graduate roles. So I really need to be looking elsewhere, though I am not entirely sure where.
I have considered entering into tech, but I would need to learn/train and have no idea where to begin. Any tips for this would be very much appreciated - money is unfortunately an issue (I'm a student and a teacher after all) and I am unable to pay for training, which may mean this route is not possible.
I would be really grateful for any tips and ideas for jobs more generally (not necessarily tech), and how to enter the job market when in a position like mine. My job hunt has not been easy (I've been looking since December) but I feel like I must be missing something - what sort of job/company would value me, I'm so unsure! Thank you so much in advance.

I'm hoping to grow some sphagnum moss at home in-vitro, using a DIY bioreactor (https://pioreactor.com/en-au or possible https://chi.bio/). (This is for carnivorous plants, which is a hobby of mine. To be clear, I don't have a chemistry background beyond high-school - I'm an electrical engineer, so forgive me if the questions are a bit basic - I've tried to do research myself, but would really love some guidance here, or pointers in the right direction from people who know).
The Pioreactor has a 25mL vessel.
I'm basing the bioreactor conditions (temperature, stirring RPM, light levels etc) on a paper I found here, which used a 5L photo-bioreactor for 3 sphagnum moss species.
As part of this, it seems I need to make up some culture medium - Knop's solution.
I found a guide from Flinn Scientific here for making it up:

Knop’s Solution
Add 1 g of potassium nitrate, 1 g of magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, 1 g of potassium phosphate dibasic, and 3 g of calcium nitrate tetrahydrate to 500 mL distilled water; stir then dilute to 1 L with distilled water. Shake solution before use to redissolve the calcium nitrate. Add 10 g of agar and 10 g of glucose to 500 mL of this solution for culturing algae. Only use distilled water when making this solution. (culturing algae)

I assume the reason they make it up to 1L is because it's easier to do that - but trying to weight it out accurately for a smaller volume would be too hard, right?
For measuring out 1g - would I ideally need scales that are repeatable to 0.01g?
I searched online, and it seems the brands people are recommending are Mettler Toledo, Sartorius, VWV etc.
I looked at VWV's entry level range:
https://us.vwr.com/store/product/14645050/vwr-e-balances
or some of Sartorius's entry level range:
https://www.sartorius.com/shop/ww/en/euproducts-laboratory-balances/entris-ii-essential-line-precision-balances-with-internal-adjustment%2c-1-g/p/Precision-Balance-Entris-II-Essential-Line-1
https://www.sartorius.com/shop/ww/en/euproducts-laboratory-balances/entris-ii-advanced-line-precision-balances-with-internal-adjustment%2c-10-mg/p/Precision-Balance-Entris-II-Advanced-Line
and they are still over USD 1000. Ouch!
I absolutely get that you need to pay for quality - and for say, work/lab use, I'm sure it would pay for itself. However, in this case, it's just a home experiment to see if I can get moss to grow faster in a jar.
Does anybody know of some good quality digital scales that would still allow me to repeatably measure out the quantity I need (1.0g)? Or any other ways to tackle this problem?
I saw some coffee scales - Acaia Pyxis which apparently go to 0.01g - but no idea if these would be useful here? Or are they simply not accurate enough for this kind of work?
Also apart from electronic scales, is there any other special equipment that would help here?
(I saw VWV also had some spatulas that are also a digital scale - which as a layperson I thought was really cool - but is that just a gimmick? Or could it be used here? They do seem too cheap to be true.)
And some Chinese company, dLAB has electronic pipettes - would they be useful for filling up the 25mL bioreactor vessel after? Or are they a gimmick?
(I saw that Mettler Toledo also has electronic pipettes - but I assume they're crazy expensive).
Any other stuff I should get for the above experiment?

Hi,
UX designer here who's picking up code again after a looong time. I completed learn programming 1 and 2 in Playgrounds to learn syntax and I want to move on to actually making a small iOS app for iPhone. I currently have no clue about how to proceed.
​

• I want to stay in Playgrounds for now because I'm taking my iPad everywhere - anything specific to consider in case I want to move to XCode at a later date?
• is there a way to save and maintain code without Git?
• I have a user tested app design which I already broke down into features and stories, so I know exactly what I want to do, but I don't know how to start/what needs to happen before I can code individual features. How do you start a project? What needs to be set up and initialized, I have no idea about things like exit conditions in Swift and iOS etc. Are there any other Playground tutorials to look at or other resources besides the Swift documentation to get a good grasp of these concepts?

So I am trying to downsize my collection, and in the meantime of selling some pops, im looking for a good bulk storage option. ive looked at some plastic totes but i didn't know if there was a go to people tend to use and how much it would hold?

Currently in college 21M and went on about 7 dates total this year half from hinge/half from school. I feel like learned so much along the way about myself, what I'm looking for so regardless of what's happened i've improved a lot.
With that being said there's a bit of a trend here with girls and rejection. But I figured I could ask here and maybe get some help!
One thing I wanted to ask here is about potentially changing my overall approach:
I have a bit more of an eccentric happy go personality. The problem I'm thinking that's occurring is that most of the girls i'm seeing see this as sweet gay male friend which isn't exactly what they want. I am bi so sometimes I can give off not fully straight energy which might be off putting to the general female population.
I do still make very intentional attempts to show I'm interested through flirting physically and with words too but it might be too much?
Is this a case of keep being who you are and someone good will come eventually or do I make efforts to just tone it down a bit, establish that I'm not uninterested/gay friend e.g through kissing, sex etc. then open up a bit more as we go so as to not confuse them at the beginning?
hopefully that makes sense thanks for the help

I’ve been wanting a sleeve for a while now. I love tattoos but actually only have two, even though I’m in my 40’s. I think that’s b/c I’m very picky. I love ink but I’m not putting anything on my body that I’m not confident I’ll want to keep forever. Sort of like taking your time dating before deciding who to marry.
Anyways, I have two pieces that are probably like 20 yrs old at this point. Had the work done at Rock of Ages by two different people who I don’t recall. They’re not complicated pieces. All black. A star on my left peck and a tribal thing at the top of my back. I want to incorporate these into a full left sleeve, maybe more.
I do have specific ideas about what I want included in this sleeve and generally where they should go, but I would like to consult with an artist to come up with designs. Of course, I’m paying for this time. My artistic ability is zero. I want to work with an expert. Time and money are easy hurdles to clear and won’t hold back this project. The main issue is the skill of the artist and their work fitting my personal preferences. I have no such skill myself. I can tell you what I like but I can’t actually create any of it.
I’m looking for recommendations on artists. I want the best. Someone with a portfolio they can share and that I’m impressed by. I don’t care if the artist is male or female. Despite the title and the room, I don’t actually care if they’re in Austin either, as I’d travel for the right person. Just seems like Austin probably has the artist for me and would make it easy to get this done. I expect it to take a long time to do.
For reference, these are the things I’m looking to incorporate into the sleeve. I may not actually have room for all this in one sleeve, so I’m very open to spreading some of this out to other areas of my body. Whatever looks best.

• Great Horned Owl w/ vivid gold eyes. The body would mostly likely be a black and white realistic, accurate sketch of the bird, but I’d be open to other ideas. I just know I want the vivid life-like gold eyes. Probably the main piece of the sleeve covering the left shoulder.
  
• “Justice, justice you shall pursue…” (Deuteronomy 16:20). Probably some sort of calligraphy.
  
• Hamsa (fingers down), possibly with my 2 kids’ names incorporated inside, in either English or Hebrew, and 1 vivid blue eye in the middle, similar to the eyes of the owl.
  
• Slingshot or David&Goliath art
  
• an oak tree w/ roots that are actually a human brain. The brain will have a red rose in a specific spot, matching the location of my brain tumor. (I’m currently fighting brain cancer, and winning.)
  

If you know the artist for the job, please hit me up.

Hey there!
We're Good Run Research, a consumer research company with offices near Broad & Malvern. We video record and live-stream focus group research and interviews from our building and conduct research sessions online via Zoom. We're looking for a personable, reliable candidate to staff the AV desk in our building and host our Zoom research sessions online. Starting pay is $18/hour.
Responsibilities for our AV desk include recording research sessions from our in-house cameras, monitoring our live-stream, and handling any client requests like hooking laptops up to monitors, adjusting sound levels, setting up for presentations. Zoom hosting responsibilities include launching Zoom sessions and their accompanying YouTube live streams, tech-checking participants, interacting with our staff & clients, and tech support throughout the session.
Applicants must be comfortable around electronic & computer equipment - including cameras, monitors, microphones, recording devices, and software applications. And they must have a welcoming demeanor to make our clients and participants comfortable during Zoom sessions. A personal, quiet location with privacy and a strong internet connection is imperative for Zoom hosting. Attention to detail is a plus.
This is a project-based position, not a traditional part-time gig. Think of it more as supplemental income, as opposed to a job with set weekly hours. Perfect for someone with a flexible schedule. Your shift will typically be scheduled between 2-3 weeks in advance so you can plan accordingly. Shifts can last between 5 to 12 hours and there are typically several shifts per month. Some shifts may start as early as 8am and other shifts can end between 8pm and 10 pm. No weekends. Great for students!
We strive for a fun, upbeat atmosphere at Good Run. Join us and you'll be working on interesting and varied projects with a good group of people. AV Techs who excel at these basic responsibilities will have the opportunity for more hours working on other projects within the company.
To apply, please send your resume to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) with the subject line AV Tech.
Thank you!