Washington State (not DC) is the only state in the union where you can legally have a fistfight with somebody (with police as referees) to settle your differences
Oh no this is still enforced, and in fact we actually Have a few vigilante superheroes
Like Phoenix Jones who actually patrol the streets and challenge criminals, the police usually get called, and they watch as Phoenix Jones pummels them because Phoenix Jones is actually an MMA fighter.
Apparently for about three years he had an actual superhero team of people with military, medical and martial artist backgrounds he personally trained and equipped, but eventually disbanded. He didn’t give specifics, but said that some of them were “the wrong kind of people” and were too dangerous. There are really for real things that happened.
Also someone tried to be an “arch nemesis” to him named Rex Velvet, some nerd wearing an eyepatch and a fake mustache who didn’t hurt anybody but made surprisingly polished, melodramatic and goofy callout videos from an abandoned warehouse and presumably pulled some annoying pranks.
#what the fuck #this…seems to be real? #or have been real anyway #I did some Googling and there’s a lot of news articles from 2011 – 2015 #not clear whether he’s still active
Bat Bot, a lightweight flier with thin silicone wings stretched over a carbon fiber skeleton, can cruise, dive and bank turn just like its namesake, researchers report February 1 in Science Robotics.
Such a maneuverable machine could one day soar up the towering structures of a construction site, flying in and out of steel beams to help keep track of a building’s progress, study coauthor Seth Hutchinson, a roboticist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said in a news briefing January 31.
Other aerial robots, like some drones, aren’t so agile, relying on four whirling rotor blades to lift off the ground, Hutchinson said. These bots also have trouble flying in the wind, because they can exert force in only one direction, he said. Bat Bot’s flexible wings could make it a more versatile flier.
“Bat flight is the holy grail of aerial robotics,” said study coauthor Soon-Jo Chung, a Caltech aerospace engineer. Bats have more than 40 joints in their wings, which give the animals exquisite control over their flight maneuvers. Chung and colleagues re-created nine of the key joints, so their robot could flap its wings in sync, fold each wing independently and move each of its hind legs up and down. At 93 grams, with a wingspan of 47 centimeters, Bat Bot is roughly the size of an Egyptian fruit bat, Chung said.
#and on a lighter note #bat #the more you know #the power of science #I just saw this on Daily Planet! #like five minutes ago #apparently it can’t fly if it weighs more than about 100g #it was tricky even getting it light enough that it could support its own weight #definitely not a cargo bot #(which doesn’t stop it from being useful in other ways)
The government of Ontario is asking for feedback from the Ontarian public regarding a future test of a basic income plan. I encourage you to read their provided materials and, if you live in Ontario, take the survey. The survey will be open until January 31st, 2017.
I’d heard rumours of an Ontarian basic income before, but I didn’t realize until today just how seriously they’re considering it.
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(It’s not 100% certain yet, but they’re leaning towards testing a negative income tax rather than a universal income. They said this is partly for practical reasons, and partly because other places are already working on UBI tests and they want to cover a new base in the global testing.)
Tags:
#Canada #Ontario #basic income #the more you know #I’m not sure I have any Ontarian readers #but I *know* I have readers excited about basic income in general #and maybe some Ontarians who don’t normally read my blog will come across this #our home and cherished land #(I’ll admit I’m a little concerned) #(after all the hype last year over ”free tuition”) #(and then seeing the fine print and finding out it’s only for full-time students) #(I’m actually going to be *worse* off under the new system than the old) #(because I won’t even be getting the inadequate version of tuition reimbursement they’re currently doing) #(so my hope about this basic income thing is cautious) #(but it is hope nonetheless) #oh look an original post
Do you want to do hypnosis? Do you want to do hypnosis WITH SCIENCE?
As much as research tends to lag behind what people are actually doing with hypnosis, the last few years have actually seen a pretty big increase in research done on and scientific curiosity about hypnosis. My personal theory is that this is because there’s an increasing number of studies coming out saying that hypnosis is A THING in and of itself (outside of, although often in addition to, the influence of factors like authority and cultural expectations). The hypnosis that shows up in research is obviously differently-applied (and often narrower) than what we tend to do as hypnokinksters/hypno-enthusiasts. A lot of hypnosis research relies on old, old methodologies and constraints of trying to standardize procedures. Still, I really like peeking in at the research that is happening and seeing if I can learn anything.
Also, “facilitative sensory stimulation” is now a fetish on FetLife, which we all should add. It’s the greatest euphemism I’ve heard in a while.
Ella: I’m incredibly curious about what a facilitative sensory stimulation suggestion is and cannot get to the referenced article. Kinesthetic inductions? I have someone imagine they’re on a mountain and play the sound of yodeling in the background? I have no clue.
Okay, so I looked into the article you couldn’t reach (yay university subscriptions!). While it never actually uses the term “facilitative sensory stimulation”, I skimmed the article a bit and found this quote regarding debriefing:
Subjects in the experiential expectancy modification conditions were told the following:
“We tried to help you become hypnotized by making sure that you would have the first few experiences I suggested to you. Remember when I told you to see colors on the wall and to hear music? Whenever I said to imagine a color, we turned on a colored light that made the room look a tiny bit that color. When I told you to imagine that you could hear music, we turned on a tape. We did that only for the lights and the music. Everything else you did entirely on your own, and you did very well indeed.”
So that’s probably what facilitative sensory stimulation means: making the first couple “hallucinations” happen in reality as convincers.
(Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble. But hey, now you know what they were on about!)
Tags:
#sexuality and lack thereof #the more you know #reply via reblog #the power of science
2/2 so I was wondering if large birds just hate human transportation or something haha. Thanks for your post, very interesting.
(In reference to a comment I made about kayaks being incredibly rude in Swan Culture)
I’ve been looking at my inbox like “I am not some kind of ECCENTRIC BIRD WHISPERER,” but I actually know the answer to this one, and it’s hilarious.
Large birds don’t have a particular hateboner for human transportation, but wild turkeys have two unique properties that make them behave ridiculously when they collide with human populations. For those who aren’t familiar with them, wild turkeys are large, boisterous birds that tend to interact with humans most frequently around the autumn which is convenient for Thanksgiving and mating season in early spring. Most of the time, they live peaceable lives in the woods, but around November they run around in flocks bothering innocent citizens and picking fights with vending machines, and then they usually go away again.
The toms, or dominant males, can stand up to 4 feet tall and weigh up to 24 pounds. They’re the ones that do the fancy displays:
The First Unique Turkey Property: Now, wild turkeys are a little bit like betta fish, in that they perceive any shiny/reflective surface that shows them a reflection as actually containing Another Turkey, and they react accordingly. When they react to the Other Turkey – usually by posturing aggressively and flaring their fins feathers majestically – the Other Turkey ESCALATES THE SITUATION by posturing as well. At some point the real turkey loses its temper and attacks, pecking and scratching and trying to take the fucker apart, only to find that the Other Turkey has protected itself with some kind of force field.
So to a wild turkey that has encountered enough autumnal car-related psychic battles, the completely logical conclusion to take away from them is that cars contain demonic spiritsthat must be subdued. Other examples of things that wild turkeys are compelled to vanquish include… well, other reflective things.
To address this, cover reflective things (you can rub soap on your car to make it less reflective) and frighten off the turkey if it’s keeping you from leaving your car.
The Second Unique Turkey Property: This is a little bit embarrassing for all concerned, but you have to think about it like a turkey would. You see, humans are oddly compelling creatures to a hormonal turkey. We have bare faces with interestingly positioned lumps of flesh, we gobble our speech in a way that almost sounds like Turkey, we strut about on two feet showing off our long sexy legs, we strut about in family groups, we often have access to really good food, our clothing is big and bright and colorful. Turkey faces change color with their mood; human faces are all kinds of fascinating colors, plus additional fantastic decorations. To wild turkeys, humans are a type of turkey, and further: many humans are either Intimidating Sexual Threats, or Exciting Sexual Beings.
Now, I am very sorry about this, but not only can wild turkeys be kind of reverse furries, they also have unexpected ideas about gender and sexuality. So to some female turkeys, “male” humans are excitingly sexy and they will follow one around for embarrassingly long periods of time, cooing attractively – meanwhile, the tom turkey and the subordinate males will be OUTRAGED by the COMPETITION presented by the interloper, and will attempt to subdue “him.” And “female” humans are likewise at risk of being passionately seduced by the dominant toms, or quietly propositioned by subordinate males – or the females may attempt to recruit you into their existing social system – as a junior member, of course. They have a strict pecking order.
Unfortunately for humans, your preferred gender may not necessarily actually translate to the gender that turkeys decide you are. And some turkeys may decide you’re “male” while others will decide that you’re “female,” so that will be confusing, and some dominant female turkeys have “male” sexual traits – like beards and tail fans – anyway. They recognize and remember humans, so if you had a particularly exciting encounter with a specific turkey, it will probably remember you.
Also unfortunately for humans, the fine distinctions between Turkey Seduction, Turkey Competition, and Turkey Networking are usually a little bit lost, and all of this behavior seems to be the same thing – it mostly consists of a large dinosaur-like bird trotting at you, possibly screaming and pecking and flapping, and can be worrying. If you are in the car and the turkey can see you, and it wishes to continue a previous encounter, it may well insist upon this in a frightening way.
Turkeys don’t give a shit about human “gender” and “authority,” as the many available videos on the internet of turkeys attacking police officers, reporters and mailmen will assure you. They just make logical decisions that are perfectly natural and reasonable to turkeys, and humans react by running away.
So what do you do about this? Well, DO NOT RUN AWAY, this means you that you are a Submissive Turkey and their behavior will escalate. Turkeys can learn the meaning of “no,” and you don’t have to be bullied by them.
And the Massachusetts Fish and Game website has a huge resource explaining all the subtleties of wild turkey behavior and how to combat the nuisances. Essentially, you must not attempt to make friends with them or attract them; once they arrive, you must “be bold” and establish Dominance, and encourage everyone to do the same.
If the turkeys are aggressive around children and the elderly, all sources agree that if they become a danger, you can contact the relevant authorities and have the turkeys removed or destroyed.
Anyway, that’s why turkeys attack cars. The take-home message is: the cars are too shiny and you are possibly a sexy turkey.
Remember: Do not move to Canada in response to this election.
Move to Florida. To Ohio. To Pennsylvania. We need you there for Warren/Booker 2020.
Here is a fact that it seems like a lot of people don’t know, and which is relevant to the decision: in America, you do not lose your vote if you move out of the country. Even if your move is permanent. Even if you were a minor when you moved away. Unless you renounce your citizenship–note that most countries will let you hold up to three citizenships simultaneously, and Canada in particular is perfectly happy to let you keep your American citizenship while becoming a Canadian citizen (if you don’t already have three, and if you do it presumably doesn’t have to be the American one you give up in exchange)–you retain voting rights indefinitely. Jurisdiction-wise, you vote as if you still lived in your most recent American residence.
(People who are American citizens only through their parents and have never actually lived in the country may be able to vote depending on where their parents lived: states vary. Check out the website linked above for details.)
I don’t know what happens if you move to a swing state just to establish it as your voting jurisdiction, then move to Canada. I don’t know if there are any consequences if the government catches you at it, and I don’t know how likely they are to catch you. Anyone interested in doing that should look into it further. But at the very least, if you already live in a swing state, you don’t have to choose between voting there and leaving the country. You can do both.
I mean, you do lose going door-to-door canvassing and whatnot, I suppose. But people planning on moving to Canada because of Trump who wouldn’t have done it anyway are probably doing it because they expect to be in danger if they stay. Staying in a dangerous situation in order to go canvassing is…well, if you want to do that, you do you, but it seems above and beyond the call of duty to me.
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#home of the brave #election 2016 #our home and cherished land #reply via reblog #this is the third post I saw on Tuesday which #appeared to be written under the assumption that People Like Me do not exist #I’m responding directly to this one because its People Like Me #is ”people whose relationship with the American government is like mine” #and our existence is an external fact that I can point to #the others were ”people whose minds work like mine” #which is much harder to prove and much likelier to lead to goalpost-moving #”we totally believe you exist! we were just using universal language for rhetorical effect! stop derailing!” #and for all I know maybe they’d mean it when they’d claim they were being rhetorical by pretending I don’t exist #let’s just say I’ve been feeling that authoritarianism post again lately
Free-tailed bats have now been clocked flying horizontally at over 160 kilometers per hour (that’s nearly 100 mph!), toppling the previous record-holder, the swift. The record for speed of diving is still held by the peregrine falcon but we’re coming for you next, feathers.
*Alton Brown opens door of the microwave the camera is sitting inside*
Hi, Internet. Alton Brown here. I just wanted to let everybody know that I’m gonna be taking a little break from the show Cutthroat Kitchen in order to concentrate my efforts on a new Internet venture I have. I call it “a cooking show”, and I think you’re gonna like it.
Why am I telling you from inside an appliance? *grins, takes on an up-to-something tone* No reason.
*closes microwave door*
Tags:
#I don’t promise to transcribe every video I reblog #but I know I personally prefer text #and am in fact about to reblog the text version of an audio post this person reblogged #because audio is way too much effort when there’s a written version right there #even aside from deafness I figure that if I had to go through the bother of watching this #I might as well save other people from that #Alton Brown #Mom’s been watching a lot of Cutthroat Kitchen lately and I miss friendly!Alton #the more you know #transcripts
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