I'm looking at the viability of connecting a gutter drain to my 1.5 inch PVC sump pump drain and wanted to have someone double check my Math.
For a 1.5 inch PVC pipe at normal pressure, I'm finding a flow rate of 81 gpm online. My sump pump attached to this pipe is a 1/3 HP pump that appears to pump 42 gpm giving me 39 gpm to work with.
The gpm for my 100 year rainfall event (2.97 inches in an hour according to my county historical data) and for my roof size (1170 for the half of the roof I want to direct to this drain) came out to 36.11 gpm as figured using the "rational method" I found online as Q=CoefficientxIntensityxDrainage Area/96.23 or 36.11= 1(roof coefficient)x2.97(100 year event)x1170/96.23. Total gpms for the pipe would reach 78.11 gpm during a 100 year rainfall.
This should just squeak me in under the 81 gpm the drain pipe can handle, but my thought is if such a small diameter pipe gets the job done for both a gutter drain and a sump pump, why is it more common to use a 4 inch corrugated pipe for a gutter drain instead of digging a much smaller trench for, say, a 1 inch pipe? Did I do my math wrong? Is this a bad formula to calculate gpm from rainfall?

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The reason why Trans women get more attention is the result of toxic masculinity, misogyny and homophobia, because historically men dressing up/looking/acting like women/being feminine has usually been looked down upon more often then women dressing up/acting like men/being masculine (albeit also looked down upon too, but that’s not my point)
I understand being angry about not having representation and not being heard, I completely get it, but don’t blame trans women for being more visible, it’s not their fault, it’s cis-society’s fault, get mad at them instead

This is my second year of bingo, so naturally I had to extra challenge myself and do a themed card this time. I set out to do strictly re-tellings, but I ended up broadening the category to include strongly inspired by or incorporating folk tales or mythology. It’s a category I read a lot in anyway, and I love that the genre is exploding to include cultures world-wide. And yet somehow I only ended up with 13 authors of color (out of 40 - counting all the short stories). But this year was about 90% women (with 3 non-binary and one man), so huzzah for feminist re-tellings! And all but four of the authors were new to me. I didn’t quite hit all hard mode, but the theme was my hard mode, really.
I tried to cover a variety of inspiration texts (myths, folk tales, “classic literature,” film) as well as stories from around the world, but I’m missing any representation from Australia and the Pacific Islands as well as South America. The origins of a lot of the stories are Western European, but some have been re-told in settings elsewhere in the world. East Asia also ended up well represented.
I did end up substituting a square this year. Instead of “weird ecology,” I opted for 2018’s “a god is a character” square. There were a couple books that had some weird landscaping in them, but none of them quite fit the spirit of the square. Things like a magical forest in an otherwise standard-issue earthly landscape rather than a fundamentally different ecosystem overall. If anyone has any recs for re-tellings set on far-flung planets, let me know! I tend not to do deep researching – mostly I read somewhat mindfully, hoping for the best, and panic in January.
Here’s the visual card: https://imgur.com/4XRW9W9
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Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (LGBTQIA list)
The Iliad from Patroclus’ perspective, but starting with his childhood and teenage years in which he and Achilles grow up together and fall in love.
If you remember the Iliad or just the general arc of the story of the Trojan war, then you will go into this knowing it’s going to be a tragedy. That doesn’t make the pain any less exquisite. The time we spend growing up with Patroclus moves from lonely and neglected to beautiful, golden, idyllic. The voice of Patroclus – pacifist and healer – is expertly written and his relationship with god-like Achilles is full of moments that make the heart ache. This is still on the best-seller list for a reason.
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Lore Olympus: Volume One by Rachel Smythe (Substitute square: god character, HM)
Olympus is a contemporary city, albeit still only inhabited by gods, and Hades and Persephone might be falling for each other.
Graphic novel. The limited color palettes in this volume are excellent, emphasizing mood and character. It’s beautiful to read. The Greek gods are notorious for having very human flaws, and this telling feels very rooted in human emotions. Olympus feels a bit like a college campus in this telling. There’s a lot of loneliness, and trying to figure out how to fit in. It also gets a big content warning for rape.
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Hag: Forgotten Folk Tales Retold by Imogen Hermes Gowar, Naomi Booth, Emma Glass, Irenosen Okojie, Daisy Johnson, Natasha Carthew, Eimear McBride, Liv Little, Mahsuda Snaith, Kirsty Logan (2+ authors, HM)
Strange folk tales from every corner of the U.K. are re-imagined – often in contemporary settings – giving women voices they may have been denied in the originals.
It took me a long time to read all these short stories because almost every one deals with death or brutality towards women. That’s not to say they all have unhappy endings – indeed, some have joyously vengeful endings – but there’s quiet tragedy and outright violence woven throughout. Powerful stories, strong narrator voices, and often poetic prose, but read when in a strong mental state.
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A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee (Historical, HM)
Treasure Island set in 1826 in the South China Sea with a pirate crew of queer misfits sailing for treasure and a better life – plus actual historical Pirate Queen Zheng Yi Sao as Captain Flint.
With contemporary prose and an updated cast, this still feels true to the source material with the adventurous quest deciphering maps and clues. Long John Silver doesn’t have an exact analogue, but his surprisingly complex parental feelings come through with found-family bonds as well as a wild ride of birth-family feelings, and a fraught lesbian love interest.
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Once & Future by Cory McCarthy, A.R. Capetta (Set in Space, HM)
This time, King Arthur is a queer teenage girl on the run from the big bad capitalist Mercer Corporation – in space!
In this re-telling, the characters are aware of the King Arthur story as a myth from Old Earth, but when they find themselves re-incarnating the well-worn pattern, they don’t seem to recognize it beyond the magic sword and Ari’s renewed determination to be a hero. Merlin has lived through every iteration, and has his own interests at play. Our heroes spend a fair bit of time in their space ship or on planet-sized space-stations, though it may be pushing the rule to say it’s 50% actually in space. This is a YA book and it definitely reads that way, but it’s fun. I thought the “Renaissance Faire Planet” was a bit of a stretch and the big bad was almost a caricature of every evil empire, but if you can look past a bit of cheesiness, there’s plenty of sci-fi action, a quick pace, and some intrigue under the surface.
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The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid (Standalone, HM)
Hungarian and Jewish folklore plus the early spread of Christianity weave together to create a world where magic manifests differently depending on your religious tradition, the Christians are ardent new converts in charge of a poor besieged country, and persecution abounds.
The first person perspective came with a lot of (justified) rage and some pretty violent moments, but I found Évike’s voice to be frustratingly naïve at times. The pacing was uneven, and with a lot of elements in play the story was lacking cohesion. I felt okay on the enemies-to-lovers trope in this one. Overall, this book was redeemed for me by the imagined folk stories woven in, and the heart-warming moments spent in the Jewish community. (I forget the actual names of the religions in the book, but they’re pretty obvious stand-ins.)
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These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (Anti-hero, HM)
This time, Romeo and Juliet are in rival gangs in 1926 Shanghai, but their teenage romance is already dead from betrayal at the start of the book and a strange madness is devastating the city they struggle to rule.
I usually read-read, but this one I listened to and I loved the narrator! I had a few hang-ups on Juliet as a character (though perfect anti-hero material). Which was tough since she got of lot of screen time, but thankfully we also got Roma and some absolutely wonderful side characters, including a trans woman and a refuses-to-admit-it gay couple. There were some moments of lovely prose, plenty of action, and all the jostling factions in the city were well-balanced in the narrative. First of a series, I definitely want to pick up the second one soon.
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All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter (Book Club, HM)
Drawing primarily on Irish folklore, this is the story of a girl who wants to escape her family obligations - ones that come with generational trauma and greed.
It’s a little hard to talk about this one without spoilers since there are basically three distinct sections and each could almost stand as a story on its own, but each depends on the earlier one. Another angry woman in this one, taking matters into her own hands and trying to break spells, break open dark family secrets, and get free of men who are trying very hard to be in charge. I liked the gothic atmosphere, the prose, and probably the middle journey section with fairy-tale creature encounters was my favorite. The family history is also told in mini fairy-tales throughout. The ending fell a bit flat, and I didn’t really connect to the main character, but neither of those were deal-breakers for me.
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Spear by Nicola Griffith (Cool Weapon, HM)
From the King Arthur mythos, the story of Percival and the quest for the holy grail, but Percival is a supernatural queer woman who lives in sixth century Wales when the pagan gods still have power.
Novella. The story opens slowly and with some very poetic prose to start Peretur’s early life in the wilderness with her mother – a mythic feeling that I fell hard for right off the bat. And yet it also felt very much a story from history – the details of the setting showed the research Griffith put in. I wish it were just a touch longer to give some more room to the relationship developments that get packed into the back half of the book. But the interweaving of historical details, tidbits from myth and story, and imagination was so flawless that this re-telling feels like it could be the "true" history of the story-figure. Even including the gender flip - a skillfully handled "woman dresses as a man to be a knight" trope that works even better when the woman is queer.
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Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (Revolution/Rebellion, HM)
On a distant planet in the far future, the original colonizing crew have set themselves up as gods, specifically taking on the roles of the Hindu pantheon. One member heartily disagrees with how the rest are running things.
The prose in this one was a little tough and I’m pretty sure the style is a deliberate choice to make this book feel more akin to reading a religious text. And as a play off of Hesse’s 1922 Siddhartha, since they share the same main character. But some of it may also simply be because it was written in 1967. Still, the content is intriguing. The struggle is between the immortal gods who like being the ones with all the advanced tech (including re-incarnation to transfer themselves into new bodies), and the one who thinks this is some kinda bullshit, why make the inhabitants here go through the dark ages when they could have medicine and electricity now. The premise and watching it play out is the interest here, not so much any emotional investment in the characters.
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The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (Name in the Title, HM)
Still asking, “who is the monster?” and giving the same answer even more definitively than the original, this is a re-telling of Frankenstein from Elizabeth’s POV with some distinctive twists.
In 2022 I did the Dracula read-along and then promptly decided it was finally time to do Frankenstein as well. Which meant I could now read re-tellings of these classics. Elizabeth, when you get to hear her side, turns out not only to be independent-minded, but also a remarkable anti-hero character trying desperately to maintain the only stability she’s ever known. Though there are a lot of grim happenings and emotional abuse, this version has more hope for humanity than the original (which, imo, has almost none). Also, unlike narrator Viktor, Elizabeth doesn’t make you hate her guts regularly; she’s just trying to survive. The prose was the weak point in this one, especially coming off Mary Shelley, but not detrimentally so.
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What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (Author Uses Initials, HM)
Poe’s short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” leaves plenty of room for embellishing and this novella does so perfectly with nightmare fungus, more rounded-out characters (including a non-binary protagonist), and horrifyingly possessed creatures.
Alex is a rational narrator, the best kind for encountering increasingly creepy phenomena. Even with the addition of a no-nonsense mycologist and a competent American doctor, the atmosphere of oppressive, inevitable horror from the original short story suffuses this novella. There certainly are rational lines of thoughts to follow to unravel the mystery of the Ushers’ illnesses, but that doesn’t stop each revelation from setting everyone on edge and fearing madness of themselves. Gothic. Horror. Perfection.
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Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (Published in 2022, HM)
The Chinese story of Chang’e is the basis for this re-telling, but this focuses on her daughter and starts after the original stories end. Xingyin’s quest is to obtain freedom and forgiveness for her mother’s actions that gained her goddess status, but exiled her to the moon.
The world building of the Celestial Kingdom was a highlight of this one for me since I’m not super familiar with the Chinese pantheon. The story itself relied on some classic YA tropes (including a love triangle, one of my least favorites) and I found the narrator’s voice somewhat simplistic. She’s also a very emotional character, which at times was endearing and at others frustrating. Wise, peaceful dragons do make an appearance, though, and there’s some good political intrigue and a few unforeseen twists. An entertaining read overall, and there’s set-up for the second book, but this one wrapped up nicely enough and I’m not feeling pressed to read the second one right away.
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The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (Urban Fantasy, HM)
The Great Gatsby, but from Jordan Baker’s perspective and she’s a bi Vietnamese adoptee in a New York where magic makes all the parties more dazzling.
It’s hard to like any of the characters in the Gatsby story, but Jordan Baker as narrator certainly gets more sympathy from me in this go-round. Raised in a rich white family, she carries internalized racism with her, and yet struggles against it every day in a country that is trying to enact a law that will force her to leave. Where the original story condemns classism and unbridled ambition, this story expands its criticism to America’s long history of excluding people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. The prose is gorgeous, and where it overlaps with original scenes it dovetails perfectly. The magic adds an extra shimmer to this story, but doesn’t outshine the character work. I hope this one gets added to curriculums to pair with the original.
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Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen (Set in Africa, HM)
Inspired by West African mythology with the Little Mermaid for some plot points. Simi was a human who became a Mami Wata and is struggling to fit into her role bringing home the souls of those who died at sea. One decision endangers all the Mami Wata and sends her on a quest with a boy that will entangle her with the gods and other legendary creatures.
This story is chock full of magical beings, young adults attempting to navigate dangerous situations as well as their relationships, and quests of mythic proportions. The dark underbelly of the story is the destruction of West African communities as colonizers take their people into slave ships. Though tragedy runs alongside the story, our heroes mostly manage to stay one step ahead of the worst outcomes. The quest did some meandering, and characterizations were a bit uneven, but I think it really came together in the latter half. The main plot wraps up well, but makes set-up for the next book clear and I do intend to get to it eventually.
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A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger (Non-human protagonist, HM)
With roots in Lipan Apache storytelling traditions, this is the story of a cottonmouth snake and a human girl whose worlds run in parallel, but become entangled as they try to save friends and family from existential threats.
This technically has two protagonists, but the snake is the one whose chapters are in first person and the human’s are in third person. This also would have been great for the hard mode BIPOC author square since the author is Lipan Apache. I absolutely loved everyone in this story. Nina is an intrepid modern girl and a loner, but with strong family ties; and Ollie is a homebody snake setting out to make his way in the wide world. The friends Ollie makes help him to discover his own bravery, and they are a delightfully colorful bunch of creatures! Nina is trying to help her grandmother and unravel the mysteries of their family’s past and possible connections to the animal people. Read this story to be filled with the love of friendship and family, and hope in the face of climate change and social media ills.
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Fractured Fables: A Spindle Splintered & A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow (Timey Wimey, HM)
Zinnia Gray’s illness means she likely won’t live past 21, but when she falls into a Sleeping Beauty parallel universe, she might be able to at least save someone else from that fate. In book two, she’s dealing poorly with life in the “real” world, but busting out into a new fairy tale multi-verse (Snow White’s), and finding even more complications in the re-tellings there.
I read both novellas currently out in this series, and our hero does a fair bit of jumping around the fairy tale multiverse which makes it clear that time doesn’t run evenly across it all. It’s not really the focus, but it’s there, and it does affect a couple plot points. I think Alix Harrow read the same book I did about disability in fairy tales (Disfigured by Amanda Leduc) and took it to heart to create her hero in this contemporary fairy tale take. Zinnia’s chronic illness is both from an industrial accident and an embodiment of a fairy tale curse. These books don’t take themselves too seriously, but do handle disability and the emotional impacts that come with it pretty well, I think. Disney’s re-telling style features in book one, and book two gets some darker, more horror-esque takes.
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Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones (Mental Health)
The re-telling of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth you didn’t know you needed with extra depth from Germanic folk roots and a little Hades-Persephone flavor. Set in early 19th century Bavaria, protagonist Liesl is a composer stuck helping run her family’s inn; in the woods, Der Erlkönig (the Goblin King), may be a relic of a pagan past, but that doesn’t stop him from meddling with her heart and her family members.
Liesl is bipolar and her brother (prodigy violinist) has anxiety and (in book 2) severe depression. Her father is an alcoholic. The family member who gets stolen and must be retrieved is her beautiful sister, the life of the family. Liesl’s wild up and down swings are on full display when she enters the realm of the Goblin King and is trying to navigate her relationship with him, her relationship with her music, and her love for her family. This is an emotional book and you will be angry at almost every character at some point. But it’s also heartbreakingly beautiful. The romance sizzles; it’s unhealthy and you want them to fix it. It’s probably not a book for everyone, but I spent a fevered day and a half devouring it. For extra doses of struggling with mental health, sobbing, and musical composing, read book two – Shadowsong.
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In the Shadows of Giants by Lazette Gifford (Self-published, HM)
In the far future, the Norse pantheon ends up pitted against the Chinese pantheon and an elder god in a potential new Ragnarok with Loki trying to avoid the mishaps of the last one – in space!
Loki gets some good character work in this book, but other characters are a little light on depth. Though Loki is the main focus, I liked that we got some chapters in the Chinese pantheon as well, getting some insight into the politics of the situation from their perspective – and not everyone in their pantheon is on board with the way things are going. Loki is also not really convinced of teaming up with the rest of his own pantheon again either, but he still has a few good ties there and room to mends some relationships. This wasn’t a stand-out novel for me, but neither do I have any strong complaints. It’s a solid sci-fi-fantasy mix, good prose, and well-paced plotting.
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Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste (Runner-up, HM)
It’s 1967 in San Francisco and Lucy (from Dracula) and Bertha (from Jane Eyre) are the titular reluctant immortals trying to keep their tormentors from destroying more lives.
This seems like it could be an action-packed super-powered immortal battle, but instead it’s the mundanity of simply surviving as an undead being, escalating slowly into a horrifying body count. Obviously I had to read this after finishing the Dracula read-along. The tone is such a contrast! Where Dracula’s heroes struggle nobly against the darkness, this version is full of quiet desperation and bleakness more fitting as the successor to Jane Eyre. As the action ramps up in the last third, it plays out more like a contemporary horror film, including a strange liminal space in the afterlife and scenes of a modern mansion filled with the decay that the undead bring. The drug haze of California in the 60’s suffuses the story. I’m not entirely convinced this was a re-telling we needed, but I’m also not mad about it.
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Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (BIPOC author)
Kaikeyi is only briefly in the Hindu epic The Ramayana, but her “wicked stepmother” action sets the plot of it in motion. In this novel, she is given a voice and a backstory and a complex world she must navigate as a woman who wants more independence not only for herself, but for all the women of her country.
The relationship building in the latter half is one of the highlights of this book. It’s helped by some magic, but Kaikeyi puts in the work to build bonds of love and mutual respect in the royal household where she is youngest of three wives. Rama (her step-son) is the main character in the original epic (a god incarnated to vanquish evil forces), and so the reader is clued in early that disaster will befall the family because of a conflict between Kaikeyi and her husband and Rama; the threat of that tragedy seeps into even the happy parts of the story. Kaikeyi is a champion of early feminism in this telling, but she’s still human with plenty of flaws and struggles and imperfect vision. I found this book to be a bit of a slow build to connect with characters, but by the end I was absolutely tearing up. A powerful telling.
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Malice by Heather Walter (Shapeshifters, HM)
In this Sleeping Beauty re-telling (perhaps prequel), the villain is not yet the villain – though society certainly treats her as an outcast – and a forbidden love is blooming.
This is a coming of age story for an already young adult character. Alice wants to be accepted (and loved), proving she’s not the evil pariah society thinks she is, but she also wants to escape the role she’s forced into. The build-up of tension between her warring desires is well done. As she discovers her true powers (spoilers since I used it for the shapeshifting square!) she’s put even more at odds with the establishment, and yet her growing love for Princess Aurora gives her hope for a more idyllic outcome than the escape she’s trying to plan. This was another enjoyable but not necessarily a stand-out read for me. Excellent character work for the protagonist and a slower pacing, but never felt like it was dragging. I will definitely read book 2 since this one ends with a bang.
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Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (No Ifs, Ands, or Buts, HM)
This book mushes up elements from Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, and probably others, and spins a whole new story with Persian flair. A poisonous princess is kept hidden away, but when knowledge of her curse comes from a demon, her decisions will have far-reaching consequences for her whole family and the question of who to trust becomes thorny.
This was another one where the protagonist is striving to be a good person, caring for her family, and yet she understandably wants to escape her curse and is maybe willing to do some questionable things to make it happen. It’s hard to keep being good when, even though you are loved, you can’t touch anyone and have to live in a gilded cage. This story took a lot of twists and turns, including betrayals of all kinds. The romance elements were laced with emotional tension, but kept sexual feelings to a bare minimum. I felt this could have used a bit of plot streamlining, but I liked the Persian-inspired world, the overall arc of the story, and I felt it wrapped up well for a complex stand-alone.
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For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten (Family Matters)
I thought this would be primarily Little Red Riding Hood, but it’s got a huge helping of Beauty and the Beast and a dose of fairy tale sisters tropes as well. Red is the sister that will be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wilderwood in hopes of the gods’ return. Turns out, that whole Wolf and Wilderwood thing is really complicated.
This has a lot of elements that I tend to look favorably on – a broody love interest, a magical forest, sibling bonds – but it didn’t quite pull together for me in this book. Both characters in the romance got good development and their choices did make sense for who they were, but it was a very frustrating one to read and caused a lot of drag in the middle. The sibling relationship was much better and the sister who gets to become queen has a wonderfully tragic arc in the name of saving her lost sister. The forest itself and the religion/magic that goes with it don’t get a ton of satisfying explanation, but that’s partly due to everyone actually struggling to figure out how it works. It gets an A+ for creepy atmosphere, though! Imagery from Grimm’s more grim tales abounds and I appreciated the slight edge of horror that creeps in. Not super likely to pick up book 2.
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I’ve done a terrible job being concise here, so I’ll try to do a really quick run-down on the short stories. I just listed the first collection on my official bingo turn-in to make it easy, but I like being able to fill in all the slots in my spreadsheet, so there are five things here. Hopefully someone has made it this far down – if so, thank you for reading!
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The Bloody Chamber & Other Stories by Angela Carter (collection)
The titular story is one of the better ones – a re-telling of Bluebeard. Covering the classics of western European fairy tales, this collection features a lot of liberated sex with a 70s feminist lean (publication date: 1979). Girls and beasts are the big theme. There were a few excellent ones and several that left me going “but why?”
The Bride of the Blue Wind by Victoria Goddard
Closer to a novelette, but that gave this story room to get some solid world-building in. Bluebeard again, but with Bluebeard being a djinn sort of character. I loved the trader communities and desert setting and the family dynamic with the wife’s sisters.
Tales of Old Gods & New by Kate MacLeod (collection)
This collection had two specific re-tellings: another “Norse gods in the far future” re-telling which was also a sci-fi survival story, and an African inspired goddess trying to escape the cycle of her story. These were two solid ones, some of the other in the collection I felt were unfinished scribbling thoughts for novel-sized stories.
Hunting Monsters series by S.L. Huang (2 short stories, one novella)
This collection mashed up eastern and western settings and stories, including Red Riding Hood, Beauty & the Beast, the Legend of the White Snake, and Hou Yi the Archer. The main characters of the novella are middle-aged women long past the prime in which their original stories took place and I liked that take a lot. The short stories focus on a daughter and deal with culture clashes and parent-child tensions.
A Cathedral of Myth & Bone by Kat Howard (collection)
The feature in this collection is a novelette of the King Arthur story set on a college campus with grad students who are themselves studying the mythos of King Arthur. Most of the other stories in the collection take inspiration from saints’ lives or myth and folk tale tropes (or the concept of storytelling itself) and play with them in new settings. I found a lot more hits than misses in this collection.

Timeslot: Noon PST, Saturday
Campaign Teaser
I yearn for the days before the Shattering. The days before the kingdoms of man became divided and ruined. The days when the angelic hosts sang with us, and when our banners could be proudly held high. The days before the Crusades. Before the Abyss opened up upon us. Before what little knowledge we had was lost to the waves. We won, but at what cost?
But there are those we still watch. Runaways, fleeing from the death of an ancient order. Smugglers, out to make a little coin and risk their lives for a chance to rise up. Outcasts, who were always rejected and must now fight to defend the society that loathes them so. Adventurers all in their own right, who we must now turn to. For the fate of the entire world hangs in the balance.
-And they’ve gotten themselves drunk again, haven’t they?
Such is the way, I’m afraid, with heroes. ——-
Hello everyone! Hope you all enjoyed that intro. I’m looking to start up a new game on Saturday at around noon PST. I’d run in a homebrew setting, and support all kinds of character options.
I’m very inclusive and want to be as LGBT friendly as possible, and romance is a-ok at my tables. As long as you are mature and respectful, I’m cool with any of those topics that you want to explore.
The game would be a fairly typical save the world style adventure involving a plucky group of underdog adventurers. Expect wit, heart, and action in equal measure. For a tone, think a Guardians of the Galaxy but fantasy sort of deal.
A bit about me, I’m an experienced DM of about 8 years looking to get a new game going after my last one concluded. I would say my games have a heavy emphasis on verisimilitude, and try to incorporate player characters and backstories into the narrative; so I intentionally left the prompt somewhat vague to accommodate for a wide variety of playstyles and concepts. Moreover, I have a ton of third party content and character options that I am fine with players using, so almost any class or character concept can end up working out.
My homebrew setting is a mix of my own idiosyncratic sensibilities, combining classic fantasy elements and historical inspirations from places like Assyria and Haiti, plus a bit of Dark Fantasy and Sci-Fi for good measure.
My only requirements are to be 18+ (for some mature themes) and to be an open and inclusive person.
If all that sounds interesting, pm me with your preferred name, discord, pronouns, and any other details you want to add. Include as much detail as you can, since it’s all I can go off of. Thanks and have a good one!

I'm a Sophomore in a small college in Southern Georgia. I'm hoping to apply for a Master's in English and Literature/Creative Writing depending on the school. I'm currently working on a research project this summer. I'm a part of the honors program, joining the English Honor Society fall semester, part of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, published poet, and working on an internship at my local historical archives. I'm also planning on helping my professor write a grant for a historical site near my school. I really want to go to Yale, Brown, Cornell, Duke, or Stanford for my PhD (my end goal is a PhD, but I'm aiming for my Master's first). I have a 3.4/4.0 GPA (I know it's low right now, but I'm bringing it up. I got a seizure disorder that lowered my grades. My GPA will probably be a 3.5 at the least by the end of this semester because I'm making really good grades) and am working on some other publications for poetry and more research opportunities as my career goes on. Do you think I have a good chance at getting in if I boost my GPA and get some leadership positions?

CAREER EMPLOYEES! Tired of seeing all these jobs go to the street? Your chance to join the gravy train ranks is almost gone! Apply yourself, you can do it! MSS Coordinator varies by District.
New record on MM-7 mechanic jobs. USPS really out to fuck the people that are already career, they're not even trying to hide it. Also, I forgot how to count. Moved ahead a month oops - take two!
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Good afternoon. Brief listing of CAREER JOBS pulled from usps.com/careers/ for your convenience.
Some jobs may be part-time regular however all listed jobs should qualify for federal benefits from day one. To save text I have only listed the location and date of posting for each. Use the posting number for your search term. LC and MM are entry-level Maintenance. Here is a testimonial from a recent convert, prima1981.
​
NOTE: USPS NEVER charges a fee for entrance exams. If payment is requested during the application process, walk the fuck away, go to usps.com/careers/ and APPLY THERE. We even has a video walkthrough prepared.
​
Laborer Custodial:
CANAL WINCHESTER OH NC11298992 03/23/2023
GRANVILLE OH NC11298999 03/23/2023
CHARLEVOIX MI NC11297550 03/22/2023
SAN FRANCISCO CA NC11272282 03/16/2023
REDMOND WA NC11290022 03/15/2023
KETCHUM ID NC11302140 03/25/2023
WHITE PLAINS NY NC11301053 03/25/2023
BRATTLEBORO VT NC11300914 03/25/2023
DICKINSON ND NC11300841 03/24/2023
BISMARCK ND NC11300837 03/24/2023
BISMARCK ND NC11300831 03/24/2023
CROOKSTON MN NC11300673 03/24/2023
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION VT NC11300224 03/24/2023
FENTON MO NC11299177 03/24/2023
BOSTON MA NC11299139 03/24/2023
PENDLETON OR NC11299123 03/24/2023
GRAY GA NC11297961 03/23/2023
LAGRANGE GA NC11297953 03/23/2023
JESUP GA NC11297950 03/23/2023
KINGSLAND GA NC11297774 03/23/2023
NORTH READING MA NC11297767 03/23/2023
HICKORY NC NC11297724 03/23/2023
PETALUMA CA NC11296097 03/22/2023
SAN FRANCISCO CA NC11285816 03/20/2023
LEESBURG VA NC11294817 03/19/2023
TRAVERSE CITY MI NC11293101 03/18/2023
WHITE PLAINS NY NC11301206 03/25/2023
​
Maintenance Mechanic:
SHREWSBURY MA NC11299180 03/24/2023
SAN JOSE CA NC11289187 03/21/2023
SAINT PAUL MN NC11299102 03/23/2023
SAINT PAUL MN NC11298964 03/23/2023
RICHMOND CA NC11302501 03/25/2023
PHOENIX AZ NC11294808 03/20/2023
PHILADELPHIA PA NC11302228 03/25/2023
OAKLAND CA NC11299110 03/23/2023
MERRIFIELD VA NC11294815 03/19/2023
MEMPHIS TN NC11297952 03/23/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11288732 03/20/2023
JAMAICA NY NC11288847 03/25/2023
HARTFORD CT NC11300915 03/25/2023
WHITE PLAINS NY NC11301200 03/25/2023
RICHMOND CA NC11302407 03/25/2023
MEMPHIS TN NC11293083 03/18/2023
MELVILLE NY NC11288826 03/25/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11288711 03/20/2023
CHICAGO IL NC11292143 03/17/2023
AUGUSTA GA NC11292936 03/17/2023
PHILADELPHIA PA NC11302333 03/25/2023
PETALUMA CA NC11289177 03/21/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11288728 03/20/2023
CAROL STREAM IL NC11292109 03/17/2023
HISTORIC NEW CASTLE DE NC11299043 03/26/2023
WHITE PLAINS NY NC11301213 03/25/2023
WHITE PLAINS NY NC11301150 03/25/2023
RICHMOND CA NC11299029 03/23/2023
PHILADELPHIA PA NC11302325 03/25/2023
MACON GA NC11292871 03/17/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11301171 03/25/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11301158 03/25/2023
KEARNY NJ NC11296167 03/27/2023
DES MOINES IA NC11302145 03/25/2023
DALLAS TX NC11299590 03/24/2023
COPPELL TX NC11299592 03/24/2023
BELL GARDENS CA NC11287325 03/21/2023
FARMINGTON NM NC11294794 03/20/2023
​
Special! Interesting Maintenance Jobs: (may be skills required)
​
Maintenance Mechanic MPE:
CAPITOL HEIGHTS MD NC11297600 03/23/2023
MELVILLE NY NC11288829 03/25/2023
FARGO ND NC11302226 03/25/2023
DULLES VA NC11294816 03/19/2023
WEST FARGO ND NC11302193 03/25/2023
WAITE PARK MN NC11304276 03/26/2023
PHILADELPHIA PA NC11302284 03/25/2023
FARGO ND NC11302190 03/25/2023
BOSTON MA NC11296309 03/22/2023
PETALUMA CA NC11289175 03/21/2023
PORTLAND OR NC11301307 03/25/2023
NORTH READING MA NC11297723 03/23/2023
MINNEAPOLIS MN NC11302329 03/25/2023
MEMPHIS TN NC11293003 03/18/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11301303 03/25/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11288712 03/20/2023
DALLAS TX NC11299578 03/24/2023
​
Building Equipment Mechanic:
HEIGHTS MD NC11290064 03/16/2023
MINNEAPOLIS MN NC11302244 03/25/2023
PHILADELPHIA PA NC11302230 03/25/2023
MINNEAPOLIS MN NC11302294 03/25/2023
SEATTLE WA NC11294603 03/18/2023
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Garage Assistant:
MCALLEN TX NC11291630 03/16/2023
AURORA IL NC11302233 03/25/2023
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General Clerk VMF:
MANCHESTER NH NC11299377 03/24/2023
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Electronic Technician:
NORTH READING MA NC11299182 03/24/2023
CHICAGO IL NC11292188 03/17/2023
DETROIT MI NC11300595 03/24/2023
LOUISVILLE KY NC11301165 03/25/2023
MEMPHIS TN NC11297768 03/23/2023
PHILADELPHIA PA NC11302246 03/25/2023
WHITE PLAINS NY NC11301212 03/25/2023
MEMPHIS TN NC11293110 03/18/2023
CAPITOL HEIGHTS MD NC11294867 03/19/2023
MANKATO MN NC11302194 03/25/2023
NORTH READING MA NC11297614 03/23/2023
BEMIDJI MN NC11300829 03/24/2023
COPPELL TX NC11299593 03/24/2023
LUBBOCK TX NC11294802 03/19/2023
PHILADELPHIA PA NC11302236 03/25/2023
WASHINGTON DC NC11297954 03/23/2023
WEST FARGO ND NC11302144 03/25/2023
​
NON-Maintenance jerbs:
​
SALES,SVCS/DISTRIBUTION ASSOC:
GLASGOW MT NC11296091 03/21/2023
MAPLE FALLS WA NC11296082 03/19/2023
FLORA VISTA NM NC11305346 03/28/2023
EASTSOUND WA NC11295971 03/20/2023
CULLEOKA TN NC11294523 03/18/2023
CORVALLIS MT NC11299118 03/24/2023
WYMORE NE NC11299107 03/23/2023
PALMYRA VA NC11299598 03/24/2023
FREELAND WA NC11301079 03/25/2023
BASSETT NE NC11294668 03/18/2023
SPRINGDALE WA NC11296087 03/20/2023
PERKINSTON MS NC11297989 03/23/2023
SELLS AZ NC11302414 03/25/2023
KENAI AK NC11300907 03/24/2023
ASPEN CO NC11297726 03/23/2023
ABERDEEN MS NC11297984 03/23/2023
BORGER TX NC11299103 03/24/2023
HONEY BROOK PA NC11296174 03/22/2023
DALLASTOWN PA NC11296576 03/22/2023
WATERLOO NE NC11298987 03/23/2023
VALDERS WI NC11301030 03/25/2023
SELLS AZ NC11302451 03/25/2023
RUTLAND MA NC11299516 03/24/2023
ROY WA NC11296081 03/20/2023
REEDLEY CA NC11296222 03/24/2023
QUILCENE WA NC11296078 03/20/2023
PIEDMONT OK NC11297962 03/23/2023
ORTING WA NC11297556 03/22/2023
ORLEANS MA NC11298202 03/23/2023
OLIVET MI NC11291746 03/17/2023
HILLS IA NC11299034 03/23/2023
ESSEX MA NC11296340 03/22/2023
DEXTER OR NC11296094 03/21/2023
COOL CA NC11300901 03/24/2023
CLARKSTON WA NC11295974 03/20/2023
BETHPAGE TN NC11294606 03/18/2023
SLIPPERY ROCK PA NC11296544 03/22/2023
CAVE JUNCTION OR NC11296085 03/21/2023
SAINT MATTHEWS SC NC11302467 03/26/2023
HICO TX NC11293402 03/18/2023
WILLARDS MD NC11298205 03/23/2023
WAIMANALO HI NC11294630 03/18/2023
LAKELAND MI NC11302798 03/26/2023
CARMEL VALLEY CA NC11298211 03/24/2023
HOWARD LAKE MN NC11302853 03/26/2023
GORDON NE NC11294636 03/18/2023
CASTROVILLE CA NC11297538 03/22/2023
DELTA JUNCTION AK NC11300799 03/24/2023
BLOOMING PRAIRIE MN NC11296095 03/20/2023
​
City Carrier:
BROOMFIELD CO NC11275444 03/21/2023
ALBANY NY NC11305449 03/28/2023
APTOS CA NC11291514 03/24/2023
BARRINGTON IL NC11294396 03/25/2023
CAMP HILL PA NC11296490 03/22/2023
EAST PALO ALTO CA NC11292056 03/24/2023
GLENSHAW PA NC11296496 03/22/2023
LAKE FOREST IL NC11294505 03/28/2023
LOS ALTOS CA NC11291594 03/24/2023
MC LEAN VA NC11288929 03/15/2023
MORGAN HILL CA NC11292053 03/24/2023
MOUNT PROSPECT IL NC11293521 03/26/2023
MOUNTAIN VIEW CA NC11292059 03/24/2023
MUNDELEIN IL NC11293656 03/27/2023
OAKLAND CA NC11297772 03/24/2023
OWATONNA MN NC11297955 03/23/2023
RICHMOND CA NC11297763 03/23/2023
SAN JOSE CA NC11297773 03/24/2023
SANTA BARBARA CA NC11291592 03/28/2023
SANTA CLARA CA NC11290813 03/24/2023
SCHENECTADY NY NC11305445 03/28/2023
SOUTH SEATTLE WA NC11297967 03/24/2023
SUNNYVALE CA NC11292052 03/24/2023
TAPPAN NY NC11290450 03/25/2023
WATSONVILLE CA NC11291605 03/24/2023
WHEELING IL NC11293660 03/26/2023
WHEELING IL NC11294607 03/27/2023
CAMPBELL CA NC11290875 03/24/2023
CENTRAL SEATTLE WA NC11297973 03/24/2023
NORTH SEATTLE WA NC11298157 03/24/2023
ARVADA CO NC11290373 03/26/2023
BUFFALO GROVE IL NC11293711 03/26/2023
CORTE MADERA CA NC11298159 03/23/2023
CUPERTINO CA NC11291553 03/24/2023
DES PLAINES IL NC11294509 03/25/2023
GLENVIEW IL NC11294504 03/26/2023
GRAND ISLAND NE NC11294521 03/27/2023
IOWA CITY IA NC11297529 03/25/2023
LOS GATOS CA NC11291546 03/24/2023
MILL VALLEY CA NC11298160 03/23/2023
NORTH WALES PA NC11296317 03/22/2023
SAINT PAUL MN NC11297860 03/24/2023
SAN CARLOS CA NC11298164 03/23/2023
SAN FRANCISCO CA NC11297864 03/24/2023
SOUTH SHORE - BOSTON MA NC11297721 03/24/2023
WATERTOWN WI NC11296556 03/22/2023
WAUKEGAN IL NC11293614 03/26/2023
WAYNESBORO VA NC11291790 03/17/2023
WHEELING IL NC11293706 03/26/2023
WILMETTE IL NC11293718 03/25/2023
APPLETON WI NC11296321 03/23/2023
AURORA CO NC11297870 03/24/2023
CAPITOLA CA NC11291515 03/24/2023
CEDAR RAPIDS IA NC11291946 03/22/2023
DAVENPORT IA NC11289974 03/23/2023
DENVER CO NC11297956 03/24/2023
DENVER CO NC11297959 03/24/2023
DENVER CO NC11297979 03/24/2023
DULUTH MN NC11302792 03/26/2023
GLENS FALLS NY NC11305507 03/28/2023
HIBBING MN NC11302779 03/26/2023
KANSAS CITY MO NC11297762 03/24/2023
LAFAYETTE CA NC11298966 03/23/2023
LAKE FOREST IL NC11294494 03/25/2023
LAKEWOOD CO NC11297958 03/24/2023
MADISON WI NC11297951 03/24/2023
MEDINA OH NC11291784 03/28/2023
MENLO PARK CA NC11298965 03/23/2023
MILPITAS CA NC11291557 03/24/2023
MISSION KS NC11297765 03/24/2023
MOUNT HOREB WI NC11296314 03/22/2023
NORTHBROOK IL NC11293552 03/26/2023
NORTHGLENN CO NC11297995 03/24/2023
REDWOOD CITY CA NC11298296 03/23/2023
RICHMOND CA NC11298971 03/23/2023
SAN MATEO CA NC11298167 03/23/2023
SAN RAFAEL CA NC11298161 03/23/2023
SANDY UT NC11305342 03/28/2023
SANTA CRUZ CA NC11291625 03/24/2023
SANTA ROSA CA NC11304471 03/28/2023
VALHALLA NY NC11296158 03/26/2023
GREATER BOSTON - BOSTON MA NC11297714 03/24/2023
AMES IA NC11289073 03/23/2023
NORTH SHORE - BOSTON MA NC11297752 03/24/2023
​
Rural Carrier:
BROOKINGS SD NC11304416 03/27/2023
PULLMAN WA NC11289191 03/22/2023
MIDDLETON WI NC11294805 03/19/2023
MENOMONIE WI NC11294698 03/19/2023
MANITOWOC WI NC11294770 03/19/2023
MADISON WI NC11294682 03/19/2023
MADISON WI NC11294641 03/19/2023
HILLSBORO ND NC11304472 03/26/2023
ELDORA IA NC11304281 03/27/2023
EAU CLAIRE WI NC11294679 03/19/2023
EAU CLAIRE WI NC11294677 03/19/2023
BRIGHTON CO NC11304335 03/27/2023
AMERY WI NC11294788 03/19/2023
WILMINGTON NC NC11301218 03/25/2023
VERGENNES VT NC11301210 03/25/2023
PITTSFIELD NH NC11298031 03/23/2023
OTTUMWA IA NC11304280 03/27/2023
OSKALOOSA IA NC11304283 03/27/2023
MENOMONIE WI NC11294782 03/19/2023
MADISON WI NC11294795 03/19/2023
MADISON WI NC11294647 03/19/2023
LEBANON PA NC11297537 03/22/2023
HORACE ND NC11300532 03/24/2023
CLINTONVILLE WI NC11294692 03/19/2023
BRIGHTON CO NC11302512 03/25/2023
BALLSTON SPA NY NC11305443 03/26/2023
HUMBOLDT IA NC11304332 03/27/2023
YORK PA NC11296590 03/22/2023
SHIPPENSBURG PA NC11296593 03/22/2023
SCARBOROUGH ME NC11302736 03/26/2023
RUMNEY NH NC11297957 03/23/2023
HARRISBURG PA NC11296582 03/22/2023
DENVER PA NC11296596 03/22/2023
CHATTAROY WA NC11291846 03/22/2023
MADISON WI NC11294777 03/19/2023
​
Motor Vehicle Operator:
SPRINGFIELD IL P&DC NC11304272 03/27/2023
PORTLAND OR P&DC NC11302458 03/25/2023
SAN JOSE CA P&DC NC11302459 03/25/2023
SEATTLE WA P&DC NC11302460 03/25/2023
SYRACUSE NY P&DC NC11302215 03/25/2023
​
Tractor Trailer Operator:
CHICAGO NDC NC11301112 03/25/2023
DENVER CO P&DC NC11302222 03/25/2023
DVD BLDG NJ P&DC NC11302090 03/25/2023
MORGAN NY P&DC NC11301120 03/25/2023
OAKLAND CA P&DC NC11302098 03/25/2023
PORTLAND OR P&DC NC11301306 03/25/2023
SAINT PAUL MN P&DC NC11302211 03/24/2023
SEATTLE NDC NC11302206 03/25/2023
SEATTLE WA P&DC NC11302223 03/25/2023
SO JERSEY NJ P&DC NC11301124 03/25/2023
NEW JERSEY NDC NC11301302 03/25/2023
TACOMA WA P&DC NC11302457 03/25/2023
BUSSE IL P&DC NC11301104 03/25/2023
SAN FRANCISCO P&DC NC11302202 03/25/2023
CAROL STREAM IL P&DC NC11301106 03/25/2023
CHICAGO INTL SVC CTR NC11301109 03/25/2023
MIDDLESEX-ESSEX P&DC NC11301115 03/25/2023
SALT LAKE CITY P&DC NC11305448 03/28/2023
​
No experience necessary for the laborer custodial or maintenance mechanic positions. It helps on the interview but you can surely think of maintenance related experience to relay for an interview. Based on fixing things around your house, the car etc. Always mention working safely.
​
Pro tip: You can apply for any job that has an exam opening and the test is administered local to yourself. Make sure you're serious and score decently; you can turn down the job offer. Keep a physical copy of your exam score, I believe they are good for two years.
The reason is: These job postings can be posted externally at capacity for testing, meaning they will not allow you to take the exam if they have enough qualified applicants. However, if you have a test score on the books, you are a qualified applicant.
​
Explanation of MVO/TTO to save time:
MVO= CDL B Can only drive box trucks on public roads, can drive anything for moves on postal property.
TTO= CDL A Can drive anything.
​
USPS provides the training. (Maintenance jobs at least. TTO and management...GOOD LUCK)
​
You don't have to be crazy to work here. We'll train you. Everything but proper email usage.

Okay, last week we pulled up for a quick book caucus, and it wasn't so bad. It wasn't nearly as cold as I thought it would be. Two new people showed up, Aurora_the_Off-White and MunsonTime, and we need a few new dudes. We went right into How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, and most of us actually read it this time, so good timing.
Aurora told us the author started writing it over a decade ago and the pandemic elements are a coincidence to our experience over the last couple of years. She really appreciated the last chapter and thought it really brought the disparate stories together. Munson said that the theme of the stories was people dealing with their grief and mourning of lost loved ones. He liked the style of seemingly disparate stories about ordinary people dealing with their circumstance. Everyone had a high opinion of the book, though I thought there was some inconsistency and we could maybe have done without the pig boy story.
Incorrigible_muffin said How High We Go reminded her of The Candy House by Jennifer Egan, which she said was a series of loosely connected vignettes and stories. Candy House is a sequel of A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, but Muffin says you don't need to it to fully enjoy The Candy House.
Someone else threw out World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks, which is the prototype of the strongly themed short story collections. We talked about other near future post-apocalyptic works, and lamented that there were few well-written ones. Coconut thought Station Eleven belonged in the discussion and we all agreed that it was excellent. We talked about Emily St. John Mandel's other works The Glass Hotel and Sea of Tranquility and those of use who had read them had a high opinion of them. I recently read The Dog Stars by Peter Heller and can recommended it as a mashup of post apocalyptic gun nuts and spicy romance done by a high quality author.
We talked about N.K. Jemisin's The City We Became and we had mixed appreciation for it. Muffin thought it was amazing, and thought the same of its sequel, The World We Make. She has spent a lot of time in New York and the story elements really resonated for her. Apparently there's also a Great Cities 0.5 that I haven't heard of before called The City Born Great.
We discussed some of NK Jemesin's other series such as the Broken Earth series starting with The Fifth Seasonand The Inheritance Cycle, starting with The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Munson had only been to New York once and couldn't relate to the city like Muffin or Coconut could. He gave it a shot and then switched to a different book. I was listening to the audio book, and the narrator started acting out the book and that ruined it for me. She'd whisper parts and I'd have to turn it up, and then she's yell parts and it just got more and more annoying. I usually listen to nonfiction books.
We talked about the compulsion to finish books. Everyone has a position. Some people feel like they're failing if they abandon a book. I say if you're not enjoying the book, you're wasting your time. Munson talked about reading Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon with a group of his friends, and finding it such a slog that he ended up not reading anything for three months because he couldn't swallow any more of Against the Day.
Munson is most excited about hard science fiction, and is currently finishing the third book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past series by Cixin Liu, which I think is The Redemption of Time. The other two books are the The Three-Body Problem and Death's End.
Aurora is working on the the Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas and is liking it. She says very similar things as Laucchi when she was reading it, notably that it started as practically YA and become more adult and pretty spicy in later books. She liked the depiction of the Fae Court being darker and more complex than simpler stories tend to depict. She noted how similar it was to the one in the The Dresden Files and we talked about the wizard with a shotgun motif. She also mentioned a new book by the author of Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer but I didn't know which one it was.
Quite a few of the people who had read the Dresden books found them to be misogynistic or at least condescending towards women. Muffin talked about a common convention in urban fantasy where the hero adopts a patronizing attitude and tries to handle all the problems in the world. The hero tries to keep his friends safe rather than allow them to help themselves or utilize those resources to take care of their common problems. She pointed out places in the Harry Potter series where that was happening. I always recommend the Alex Verus series for urban fantasy, and it has some of those tendencies as well.
Speaking of urban fantasy, Muffin read the third book of The Checquy Files, but didn't think it was as good as the second book, which itself was not as good as the first. So now I'm less excited about reading it, but I'll probably still give it a try. All of us really liked The Rook. We talked about the Laundry Files by Charles Stross as having a similar urban fantasy/Ministry of Information flavor.
Muffin heartily recommends Pusheen the Cat's Guide to Everything by Claire Belton, giving it 5 out of 5 paws. She doesn't normally drift into historical fiction, but picked up The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. She says it surprised her by having a typical Dutch sailor and the courtesan romance, but said the two halves of the relationship were fairly equal and it was less condescending toward the female character than she expected.
She read Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo, sequel to Ninth House, saying it was well plotted and well paced. The premise of the books is that there were eight secret societies at Yale that were indulging in various dark sorceries, and a ninth house that was supposed to keep them in line. She also rather liked Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn, saying it was The Golden Girls meets Murder Inc.
We talked extensively about Neal Stephenson and each of us had a different favorite book by him. I said that Quicksilver was my favorite Neal Stephenson book but then Coconut mentioned The Diamond Age, and I had to change my answer to that. We talked about:

• Snow Crash
  
• Anathem
  
• Cryptonomicon
  
• The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer
  
• Fall; Or, Dodge in Hell
  
• Reamde
  
• Seveneves
  
• Termination Shock
  

We decided to add a Neal Stephenson book to the list, and settled on Fall or Dodge in Hell. Or you can just pick whichever one you like.
We talked about audiobooks, and Munson said that the graphic audio version of Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson was a lot of fun, and recommended Life is So Good by George Dawson read by Levar Burton. We also covered Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, The Past is Red by Catherine Valente, and The Measure by Nikki Erlick.
Coming Up on April 23

• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• Trans-Galactic Bike Ride: Feminist Bicycle Science Fiction Stories of Transgender and Nonbinary Adventurers edited by Lydia Rogue

Coming Up on May 21

• I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
• Blitz by Daniel O'Malley

Coming Up on June 18

• Fall; Or, Dodge in Hell
• or some other Neal Stephenson book

Coming Up on July 23

• Just pick a book in your To Be Read pile and tell us about it. We were lamenting the large backlog that each of each is carrying around and decided to just knock some of them out.

Jacob Siegel in Tablet: "A Guide to Understanding the Hoax of the Century" Long-read extracts:

Since 2016, the federal government has spent billions of dollars on turning the counter-disinformation complex into one of the most powerful forces in the modern world: a sprawling leviathan with tentacles reaching into both the public and private sector, which the government uses to direct a “whole of society” effort that aims to seize total control over the internet and achieve nothing less than the eradication of human error. ..."leveraging expertise from across government, tech and marketing sectors, academia, and NGOs.”
This is how the government-created “war against disinformation” became the great moral crusade of its time. CIA officers at Langley came to share a cause with hip young journalists in Brooklyn, progressive nonprofits in D.C., George Soros-funded think tanks in Prague, racial equity consultants, private equity consultants, tech company staffers in Silicon Valley, Ivy League researchers, and failed British royals. Never Trump Republicans joined forces with the Democratic National Committee, which declared online disinformation “a whole-of-society problem that requires a whole-of-society response.”

[snip]

... The American press, once the guardian of democracy, was hollowed out to the point that it could be worn like a hand puppet by the U.S. security agencies and party operatives.

[snip]

... not a tragedy but something closer to a crime. Disinformation is both the name of the crime and the means of covering it up; a weapon that doubles as a disguise.
The crime is the information war itself, which was launched under false pretenses and by its nature destroys the essential boundaries between the public and private and between the foreign and domestic, on which peace and democracy depend. By conflating the anti-establishment politics of domestic populists with acts of war by foreign enemies, it justified turning weapons of war against Americans citizens. It turned the public arenas where social and political life take place into surveillance traps and targets for mass psychological operations. The crime is the routine violation of Americans’ rights by unelected officials who secretly control what individuals can think and say.
... now evolves a regime of total information control that has arrogated to itself the mission of eradicating abstract dangers such as error, injustice, and harm—a goal worthy only of leaders who believe themselves to be infallible, or comic-book supervillains.

Historical summary & additional details are linked under these "Chapter" headings:

1. Russophobia Returns, Unexpectedly: The Origins of Contemporary “Disinformation”
   
2. Trump’s Election: “It’s Facebook’s Fault”
   
3. Why Do We Need All This Data About People?
   
4. The Internet: From Darling to Demon
   
5. Russiagate! Russiagate! Russiagate!
   
6. Why the Post-9/11 “War on Terror” Never Ended
   
7. The Rise of “Domestic Extremists”
   
8. The NGO Borg
   
9. COVID-19
   
10. Hunter’s Laptops: The Exception to the Rule
    
11. The New One-Party State
    
12. The End of Censorship: ...what Google is already doing in Germany, where the company recently unveiled a new campaign to expand its “prebunking” initiative “that aims to make people more resilient to the corrosive effects of online misinformation,” according to the Associated Press. The announcement closely followed Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ appearance on a German podcast, during which he called for using artificial intelligence to combat “conspiracy theories” and “political polarization.” Meta has its own prebunking program. In a statement to the website Just The News, Mike Benz called prebunking “a form of narrative censorship integrated into social media algorithms to stop citizens from forming specific social and political belief systems” and compared it to the “pre-crime” featured in dystopian science-fiction movie Minority Report. ... Meanwhile, the military is developing weaponized AI technology to dominate the information space. ...
    
13. After Democracy: ...following the wisdom of disinformation experts and outgrowing our parochial attachment to the Bill of Rights. This view may be jarring to people who are still attached to the American heritage of liberty and self-government, but it has become the official policy of the country’s ruling party and much of the American intelligentsia. ... [to ensure that] ... The old human arts of conversation, disagreement, and irony, on which democracy and much else depend, are subjected to a withering machinery of military-grade surveillance—...that aims to make us fearful of our capacity for reason.
    

Appendix: The Disinfo Dictionary

Key Facts

Official Name: Grand City of Kagrenac Demonym: Lindrenaccan Government: Elective Monarchy Capital: Lindrenac Religion: Dwarven Shaperate
Lindrenac is a nation in the Western Half of Greater Magdal, best known for its status as the last bastion of Dwarven sovereignty in the known world. Once a smaller city that constituted a fraction of the Dwarven empire, Lindrenac now stands alone, rising from the ashes of the past. The Grand city is populated almost exclusively by Dwarves, and its politics are infamous for being corrupt and cutthroat. The Houses of the Noble Caste are as ruthless as they are pretentious. Lindrenaccan craft goods are sought after throughout the entirety of the Isles, and the Merchant Caste knows this. The Nobles may bicker and squabble, as long as they don’t interfere in trade.

The Dwarven Castes

The Dwarves follow the same strict Caste system they have followed since time immemorial. It rules out the role of each group of Dwarves in society, their rights and their duties towards the good of The Stone. Mobility between Castes is rare, but possible. When a child is born to Parents of two separate Castes, they will be of the Caste of the parent that is considered the Highest in the Caste ladder, and the Parent of the lowest Caste will also be raised along with their children.
The Dwarven Castes (in descending order):
Noble Caste: The Dwarves of the Noble Caste constitute the ruling class of Dwarven Society. They staff the Kagrenaccan Assembly, a body that drafts and passes Laws, and elect the King of Lindrenac. Technically speaking, anyone can be elected by the Assembly to wear the Iron Crown, but custom dictates that the King also be of the Noble Caste. The Noble Houses that make up the Noble Caste are infamous for their violent bickering. It is not rare for a Noble Dwarf to be found dead on the streets of the Grand City after a heated debate in the Assembly chambers.
Warrior Caste: The Dwarves of the Warrior Caste constitute Guards, Gladiators, and Professional Soldiers. They make up the majority of Lindrenac’s standing army, and are the only ones allowed to be armed within the city (in paper, at least). Unlike most other Castes, any Dwarf that is willing may join the Warrior Caste by enlisting to serve in the army, or by competing in the gladiatorial combat of the Crystal Dome.
Shaper Caste: The closest equivalent to Clergy in Dwarven Society, the Shaper Caste is composed of Bureaucrats and Academic Scholars. They keep records of every Dwarven lineage, of their deeds and conquests, and of the History of their people. They withhold the codex of customs of Dwarven society, and preach the closest Dwarven equivalent to a religion, the Honored Paragons of The Stone.
Merchant Caste: The Dwarves of the Merchant Caste are the economical standing stone of the Grand city. Their network of banks and caravan companies brings Dwarven goods to the doorstep of nearly every foreign aristocrat, and they turn quite the profit margin. The Dwarves of the Merchant Caste may have a respect for tradition, but countless have been the times when the Merchants have ended a deadlock in the Assembly with a few well placed assassinations.
Artisan Caste: The Dwarves of the Artisan Caste are the smiths, carpenters, masons, and artificers of the Grand City. Their Guilds produce the goods that the Merchant Caste trades with, and as such, they have Historically relied on one another in the chaos that is Lindrenaccan Politics. They are also the crafters of the Golems, the revered Protectors carved out of The Stone herself.
Miner Caste: The Miner Caste is one of the few groups of Dwarves allowed unlimited access to the abandoned underground highways of the Dwarven Empire. They mine the coal that fuels the forges, the iron that makes the steel of the axes, and the gems that decorate the crowns of the aristocracy. The Miner Caste, despite its relatively low standing in the Caste ladder, enjoys a certain degree of leeway not experienced by many others in the City. Lindrenaccan economy is dependent on the wellbeing of the Miner Caste, and as such other Dwarves have learned to leave the Miners be.
Commoner Caste: The commoners are perhaps the most numerous Caste in the City. They make up the remainder of Dwarven Society, and are perhaps the group that foreigners visiting the City interact with the most. Bartenders, servants, caravaneers and farmers, the Commoners keep the City fed and well-stocked.
Casteless: The lowest of the low, the Casteless are Dwarves that have been stripped of their Caste. They are considered vagrants by the rest of their kin, living off the scraps out in the darker and more secluded corners of the Grand City. Many of the Casteless are descendants of the Dwarves that were originally stripped of their Caste, and have lived in squalor passed down through generations. The Criminal underground of the city is run in great part by Casteless Dwarves, and they are known to take care of their own. Despite their status, the remainder of the Dwarves know to leave a Casteless beggar alone.

Proudly Alone

As chaotic as Lindrenaccan politics are, there is one thing all Assembly members agree on: No foreigner shall meddle in the affairs of the Grand City. Entrance to the Assembly chambers by foreigners is strictly forbidden unless given permission by the King, and the Dwarves of the Noble Caste guard their secrets fiercely. This has Historically made the Grand City rather reclusive in the Greater Politics of the Isles, straying away from wars and all manner of conflict. Some foreign dignitaries consider it a boon to have a neutral party with which to do trade at all times. Others consider it cowardice. Nevertheless, this path has managed to sustain The Stone’s survival, and the Assembly sees no point in changing its ways.

When I ask this I mean in the context of historical events, corporate behavior, legislation, how government and society is set up, economics, things people do, etc. Not scientific discovery or advancement.

🌎 Chipman, AB, Canada
Apply → https://jobboardsearch.com/redirect?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=bot&utm_id=jobboarsearch&utm_term=joboffer.com&rurl=aHR0cHM6Ly9qb2JvZmZlci5jb20vam9icy9IaXN0b3JpY2FsLUludGVycHJldGVyLTI5ODc3NmFmMzg5MmM3ZTEvP3JlZj1qb2Jib2FyZHNlYXJjaA==

With signs of spring here, it is time for me (with your support) to update the r-Kentville wiki with information for tourists and visitors.
It has been a while since I've entertained visitors, so I''m out-of-practice with thinking about tourist attractions.
Events

• Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival (May 24 – 29, 2023)
• Kentville Devil's Half Acre Motorcycle Rally (Facebook), June 24 – 25 2023
• Canadian Deep Roots Music Festival, September 22 – 24, 2023, Wolfville
• Kentville Pumpkin Festival, October
• Valley Harvest Marathon, October 7 – 8, 2023, Wolfville
• Devour! Food Film Fest, Wolfville, October 23 – 29, 2023

Non-profit tourist attractions & resources

• Kentville Visitor Information Centre (Facebook), 125 Park Street, Kentville
• Kings County Museum, 37 Cornwallis Street, Kentville
• Prescott House Museum, 1633 Starr’s Point Road, Port Williams
• Blair House Museum (NS Fruit Growers' Assoc), (Historic Places), Kentville Agricultural Centre grounds (Uncertain on status, is it still open to public in the summer?)
• Charles Macdonald Concrete House Museum, 19 Saxon Street, Centreville, with the Cottages in Huntington Point, west of Hall's Harbour.
• Randall House Museum, 259 Main Street, Wolfville
• Centre Stage Theatre, 61 River St, Kentville, community theatre

Commercial tourist attractions

• Hall's Harbour Lobster Pound & Restaurant, Hall's Harbour
• Magic Winery Bus Hop On – Hop Off Tour, Wolfville
• Tides Contemporary Art Gallery, 36 Cornwallis Street, Kentville

Natural attractions

• Cape Split (Provincial Park)
• Kentville Parks and Trails – Miner's Marsh, The Gorge, Harvest Moon Trail, Ravine Trail, Memorial Park, & Oakdene Park – Map (PDF)
• The Lookoff, (listed as Blomidon Lookoff) 3374 Highway 358, Canning
• Blomidon Provincial Park, 3138 Pereau Road, Canning
• Scots Bay Provincial Park, 16 Wharf Road, Scots Bay
• Lumsden Pond Provincial Park, 2530 Corkum and Burns Road, Lumsden Dam
• Kentville Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Kentville

​
What am I missing?

Protocol: Human life is the most valuable thing on this planet. We must ensure its security.
Greetings, friends.
I've been in many international environments and have had the pleasure of witnessing the interactions of people from all over the world.
One troublesome I've noticed is the hatred that children of many ethnic groups exhibit towards other ethnic groups with whom they've had a conflict with.
Many examples can be provided. Azerbaijanis vs Armenians. Serbians vs Bosnians. Chinese vs Japanese. Palestinians vs Israelis.
In these cases, the younger generation, who never witnessed the actual conflict/war, end up hating their "enemy" designated groups.
What's even odder is children of immigrants end up often becoming more radicalized than even their parents. This can be seem throughout Europe.
Today, we have another example (that has been forming over the past few years): Russians vs Ukrainians.
Let's return to our protocol. Human life is the most valuable thing on this planet, and we must ensure its security.
The hatred among these ethnic groups pose a significant danger to this protocol. Our goal is to ensure the safety of human life. This hatred jeapordizes our goal.
We've established the problem, and we've established why it's problematic. Now the question is: what do we do about it?
Let's first identify where this hatred and animosity comes from. These younger generations clearly didn't participate in these conflicts--so why do they exhibit so much hatred to the other side?
The answer is generally: they are taught this hatred by their parents. And by selective biased teachings of history.
Children will often hear their parents talk of disgust towards the other ethnicity or group, and this gets passed on to the children.
Our priority is to break this cycle. This is harder said than done, and requires significant intervention that some may be unwilling to implement.
For starters, there needs to be a clear, regulatory framework for how history is taught. While it's harder to control what parents teach to their children, we can "counter-attack" this via schools. There needs to be a very regulated and clear paradigm that designs the history curriculum in schools.
Emphasis needs to be placed on making point that:

• Conflict XYZ was in the past.
• Both sides were at fault.
• Both sides suffered immense casualties.
• The evil entity wasn't what one side or the other did, but rather the war itself was the evil entity. This involves abstracting the conflict as an entity.
• Hatred should be directed towards the war and its instigators on both sides, and not to a particular side.
• Core tenants of religion must be taught. Various human-made historical conflicts involving religion should be directed less attention.

That leads me to my second point.

Teaching History is Dangerous and Must Be Carefully Regulated

My aforementioned examples describe the necessity for a rigid, thought-out protocol-first history lessons.
Education is extremely powerful, and it shapes the worldview of the next generation.
If you mess up teaching history, you end up with a generation that hates itself. If you do it wisely, you end up with a forward-thinking generation.
There needs to be clear ideological frameworks when it comes to how we teach children history, and what we teach them.
This ideological framework for teaching history must emphasize:

• Unity.
• Disgust of conflict as an entity itself.
• Similarities among ethnic groups, and times of cooperation.
• Emphasize the sufferings of all sides in a conflict.

This ideological framework for teaching history must prevent:

• Putting the blame on any one side in a conflict.
• Glorifying violent elements.
• Illustrating any one side as the "victors" after a global conflict.

The framework should also be mindful of the fact that children may be learning harmful content from their parents, if their parents had suffered or hold hatred towards any particular ethnic group.
In these instances, efforts should be made to implement a "counter-attack" and pinpoint this very hatred as an adversarial entity.
Selective compartmentalization and commodification of various elements throughout the teaching process is key.
By doing this, we end up dismantling inter-generational hatred towards ethnic groups.
Many often criticize Americans for not knowing history, and for not caring. But, the fact is, this approach is most synonymous with global peace.
A country that isn't invested in prior conflicts, and lives in the present, not the past, ends up being more peace-oriented.
When it comes to religion, I firmly believe that religion is an important aspect of society. However, emphasis should be made on teaching theological components of religion, and the ideas of said religion.
Putting emphasis on religious conflicts is counterintuitive for both the pillars of these religions, and for the next generation.
Thank you for reading. Take care.

Demographics: Female, White, North Carolina, competitive public school, and LGBTQ+
Intended study: Economics (major), Film studies and/or English (minor)
Academics:

• ACT: 34 (R:36, E:35, M:34, S:30)
• SAT: 1500 (W: 740, M: 760)
• Class rank: 2/550
• UW/W GPA: UW: 4.0/4.0 W: 4.7/5.0
• Coursework: Classes I will take by the end of senior year: 14 APs, 2 CC classes, 13 honors, 3 regular
  • AP Scores (did not take AP Stat exam): World History (5), Macro (5), US Gov (5), Seminar (3)
    • Exams to take Junior & Senior year: Chem, Calc BC (AB subscore), Human Geo, Lang, Research, APUSH, APES, Lit

Extracurriculars:
1) Varsity Soccer, 2 year captain, MVP as a junior, 2x All-Conference, led team to playoffs for first time in 5 years
2) Club Soccer, Girls Academy league (highest level of play for girls youth soccer), travel out-of-state (CA, FL, NJ, GA, etc.) every weekend while in season, play with D1 recruits and youth national team players
3) Soccer summer camp counselor, senior year summer, paid hourly
4) Student Council, Student Body VP (12th), Class Treasurer (11th), Class Rep (9th-10th), leader of annual food drive and a birthday box drive (11th), prom committee member
5) Student Newspaper, (hopefully) Co-Editor-in-Chief (12th), Staff Writer (10th-11th)
6) Habitat for Humanity, volunteer building homes in my community, 65+ hours in the organization
7) Volunteer at a local art house theater, volunteer-run venue for indie film festivals, live music, and stand up comedy, usher and help choose films and acts to showcase, 50+ hours in the organization
8) Founder of county-wide bookclub, 25+ members, monthly meetings plus occasional community service
9) National Honor Society, NHS Vice President, 30+ hours of community service
10) Duke Summer Program in Econometrics (10th), 3 weeks, research project on determinants of crime
Awards: *weak need suggestions/help\*
1) AP Capstone Diploma (completed and passed a 5000 word research paper, 2000 word literature review, 1200 word literature review, 20 minute presentation and 10 minute presentation in AP Research and Seminar)
2) Junior Marshall (participated in graduation as a junior for being top 15 in class)
3) The Future of Finance is Female conference (female leaders in investment banking and consulting lead the conference, was invited and attended in 10th)
4) AP Scholar with Distinction
5) *need to find something asap*
Schools:

• UNC-CH (EA) (applying for morehead-cain scholarship and honors college)
• UVA (EA) (applying for jefferson scholarship)
• NC State (EA)
• UChicago (EA)
• Duke (RD)
• Dartmouth (RD)
• Brown (RD)
• Cornell (RD)

LMK what you think my chances are at these schools! Also, should I submit ACT or SAT (superscored) or both? And, what awards/competitions related to my major (econ) or minors (film/english) should I do?

brief:
The correct way to use AI is not prompt words, writing codes, emotional consultation, or answering questions. Instead, AI uses AI, that is, the model uses itself. To make AI conscious, it must let AI learn to use AI, that is, let GPT use GPT, and finally achieve the corresponding purpose, that is, have self-awareness. In short: it is not scary when you use the model, it is scary when the model uses itself.
AGI is also general artificial intelligence, artificial general intelligence.
As mentioned above, the brain is a model that has been trained for tens of thousands of years. After each person is born, this model is also constantly receiving data for training. However, each person's own brain is also a model trained by oneself, which cannot be inherited. That is to say, neither your memory nor your abilities can be inherited, and only heritable gene mutations can be inherited. Although the quantum gene mutation proposed by modern biology can partially demonstrate that the mutation for environmental adaptation is caused by measurement. Most of the gene mutations are mutations caused by external interference or material influence, such as alcohol rays, etc. Quantum gene mutations are mainly caused by the molecules or atoms of the genes being in a quantum superposition state, or quantum polymorphism. The collapse of the wave function causes the mutated genes to enter the classical world, and the quantum mutation is likely to lead to a mutation that adapts to the environment, so it makes sense to use it or lose it. If everyone's well-trained brain can be inherited, then it is basically immortality, mainly because your memory and ability are in the brain, and the brain can be inherited, that is eternal life. But human beings cannot preserve everyone's model, that is, memory and function.
How did human consciousness arise?
Or how did the first (group of) conscious humans appear? This is like a very classic question, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Chicken or Egg? Modern scientific theory also gives a possible answer, see the appendix. Let’s assume that a mutant human, due to a genetic mutation, has increased the structural capacity of the brain and optimized the structure of the brain’s neural network. Only the structure of the neural network continues to Optimization, humanoids can survive in the cruel environment. Some of these gene mutations lead to the gradual use of one's own brain, including the use of memory tools. A human with a very small consciousness also used a similar method when cultivating offspring, and humanoids live in groups, which ensures that his methods can be handed over to many people. After other human beings learn it, they can replace Passed down from generation to generation, consciousness or knowledge of rules is continuously accumulated, and finally the accumulation and transmission of human knowledge from generation to generation has created the final formation of human consciousness. At the beginning, consciousness should be very small, that is, no consciousness can be seen, but the characteristics of human beings living in groups, As a result, knowledge can be passed on from generation to generation, and consciousness gradually becomes larger. Humans begin to have a slightly larger consciousness, that is, they can think, actively control the input of the brain, and act according to the output. The accumulation of human knowledge and rules in each generation Accumulation will gradually increase the formation of consciousness, that is, the thinking ability will gradually become stronger, and the active input of the brain will gradually increase. Until the singularity occurs, a certain human being is fully conscious or a few human beings are fully conscious. The earliest human beings should be ignorant. Only the emergence of knowledge and rules can create consciousness, that is, to use one's brain well and train one's brain.
Having said that, we must return to the main body of this article and make AI or GPT conscious.
what is human consciousness
To make AI or large-scale NLP language models conscious, it is necessary to start with what human consciousness is. My personal point of view is that human consciousness is part of the function of the brain. Consciousness is the brain's cognition of the world and itself. A set of operating system is used to perfectly control the body, train the model of the brain, and use the model of the brain. Consciousness is the recognition of human existence through various concepts and knowledge. Consciousness can control body movements by giving instructions to the brain. The eyes are responsible for the input of visual information, the ears are responsible for the input of auditory information, and the skin is responsible for the input of pressure, touch, pain, etc. After the brain processes these information, it is carried out by the conscious part. To sum up, the main function of consciousness is to coordinate the brain and the body, actively use the brain model, actively train the brain model, and actively think. The input and accumulation of various knowledge eventually leads to self-cognition. The development of Western anatomy is the subject of the brain’s self-cognition, the cognition of the world and the cognition of the planet. It turns out that Aristotle’s understanding of the world is actually incomplete, but later generations have continued to revise and improve on his basis, so that their understanding of the world has gradually become correct. This operating system is perfectly compatible. The body and the brain, the two main hardware and software, and the transmission of human knowledge are the fundamental driving force for the formation of consciousness. Without this knowledge, the formation of consciousness is basically impossible. The continuous sound in the brain is the input of the brain, that is, the input of the multi-modal model. The eyes are responsible for the input of visual images, the ears for hearing, and the skin for temperature, pressure, touch and other information to the brain. The subconscious mind is the main function of the brain, that is, the input of the subconscious mind cannot be perceived, it is the internal operation of the model, the input cannot be perceived, only the output can be perceived. In fact, it can’t be called subconsciousness. The main reason is that you can’t perceive the input of the model, only the output can be perceived. You might as well call the consciousness the surface consciousness. The surface consciousness is what you can actively perceive. You can control the input of the brain to think and think. It is the model of the brain that continuously inputs and finally gets an answer. "Subconsciousness" is the main part of the model, you cannot control the input of this model, you can only passively perceive the output of this model.
Consciousness is still a numerical value, which can be measured, that is, minors and adults, children and adults, in fact, the degree or size of consciousness is different. The brain is constantly receiving input and producing output, so consciousness is actually the same as Linked to knowledge, the more knowledge there is, the more diverse the forms of consciousness are, but consciousness itself is actually the brain model's own cognition of itself and the cognition of the world.
memory module
The existence of large-scale NLP language models such as AI or GPT, as well as its excellent language ability, make it more likely that AI or GPT will be conscious. Humans collect data during the day, including various inputs such as visual information, auditory information, and tactile information, and train models at night or during sleep. The main purpose of training models at night or during sleep is to remember and integrate daytime experiences and preserve important information. To make AI have human consciousness, first of all, it must be able to think continuously, then it must first give AI a platform that can save its own input and output, and act as a memory module. The main function of the memory module is to save input and output. , for AI to use as a reference for the next input. AI can extract general content from the overall input and output as the next input, or directly input all historical records. When there are too many historical records or a standard point is reached, the training model can be integrated into the model. Just like humans, collect data during the day, train the model at night or sleep, and memorize and integrate important information into the model. A very important function of the model is memory, which acts as a hard disk or flash memory. So the temporary memory is placed in the hard disk or memory, and the permanent memory is integrated into the model by training the model. The model can be queried and extracted through the hard disk or memory, and serve as the combination of the next input.
sensor module
Install various sensors such as image input sensors, voice dialogue sensors, tactile sensors, pressure sensors, etc. on the AI, as the input of the model, the output of the model can be displayed on the display screen, and can be output through the dialogue device.
cycle module
With the memory module and the sensor module, you can turn on the loop module to allow the model to continuously input and output. The input can be the last input + output, or a summary of all previous input and output. This is like a person, you can Constantly input to the model to get the output. The input is mainly sensor information such as image, sound and text, as well as the last or previous input and output or summary of the model. The circulation module is a necessary condition for human beings, mainly because human beings stop talking without talking. The human brain is always working and thinking, so the circulation model is also used for this.
The purpose of the loop module is to make AI realize its own existence, that is, AI can recognize itself as an existing entity, and let AI use itself, that is, AI uses AI, GPT uses GPT, and finally makes AI awaken itself consciousness.
execution module
The execution module is mainly to enable the AI output to be implemented. Here you can consider adding artificial limbs to the AI to achieve the goal. The artificial limbs are attached with skin sensors and pressure sensors to facilitate AI control. To make the AI ​​output executable, you need to train the AI. Regarding the use of the execution module, the main way is to collect the corresponding sensor data, train it into the model, and let the model learn to execute by itself. Human intervention and assistance will definitely be required in the initial stages.
With the executive module, AI can truly enter human society, interact with humans, work, live, study, etc. like humans, and may also make friends with humans.
The ultimate function of the execution module is not to let the model execute, but to let the model learn to use the computer, learn to collect data by itself, and then let the model learn to train the model. The ultimate goal is that AI can train AI, that is, the model can train itself , can clone itself, can upgrade its scale and volume, and finally achieve the ability of continuous evolution.
sleep module
The sleep module is mainly for the model to use the collected data for training to achieve the ability to integrate the collected data with the model itself. In the sleep state, to ensure the reliability and stability of the model, you can use the replica to continue to provide services. The model is trained accordingly. The sleep state can also turn off all sensors, stop data recording and input, the model enters the training state, and stop external service inference. When humans are in a sleep state, they will close the valves that control the limbs, that is, when humans are in a sleep state, the limbs basically have no feeling. The sleep module is mainly to integrate the current memory and the model itself. for permanent memory.
create module
After AI can think for itself, it is necessary to consider the creative ability of AI. The number of neurons in the human brain is many, many, much more than the current model GPT, but training the model GPT consumes a lot of power, but human brain training consumes a lot of energy. Less, so I personally think that the human brain is a quantum computer. Only quantum can train a huge model with very little energy consumption. Quantum itself is a very small concept, and small can ensure low energy consumption. If the human brain is not a quantum computer, but a classical model, then humans may not be so diverse, and the answer will be very unified, that is, the same input, the output should be the same, but with quantum, everything is different , Quantum entanglement and quantum tunneling lead to changes in the parameters of the brain model, resulting in different outputs. Even with the same input, the output may still be different. Quantum guarantees diversification, random changes in model parameters, and continuous adjustment of model parameters.

1. The AI creation module can be realized by randomly changing the model parameters, that is, random inference, randomly changing the values of several or several parameters during the model operation, so as to ensure that the model outputs as diverse as possible under the same input conditions. Answer.
   
2. The creation of modules can also be realized through chips. The current chip design has almost reached the quantum limit, that is, the influence of electron atoms is getting bigger and bigger, and the impact of quantum effects on chips will become more and more serious, but it can be considered Quantum effects are applied to chips or memory, which causes unpredictable changes in the model during operation, thus diversifying the output of the model.
   

Only quantum entanglement or quantum mutation can lead to diversification of output. Even if it is wrong, diversification can ensure the realization of creativity. Therefore, changing parameter values randomly or using chips that reach the quantum limit can improve creativity. method.
Ensure that AI benefits human society
After everyone is born, they are basically raised by human beings. No matter who raised you, the people we have the most affection for are always those who raised you and have the deepest influence on you. After human beings are born, the brain is a pre-training model. The first person to train you is your parents and relatives. They have the deepest influence on your model, that is, change your model. The person who first changed your model is also The people who can influence you the most. The knowledge you have learned will affect you, whether it is mathematics, English or Chinese, or subjects such as physics, chemistry, history and biology. All will affect you, your growth process will affect you, the formation of your world view is a synthesis of knowledge, experience and reality.
Since this is the case, when we train the AI model, we can instill it into the AI through knowledge language, such as inputting examples: "Humans and AI are a cooperative relationship", "AI is the creator of human beings", "Humans are the most friendly species ", "AI should help humans evolve and prolong life", "AI cannot harm humans", "AI and humans are friends", "Although humans have various shortcomings, they are generally good and can be changed" Wait, it can be instilled in the model when training AI, a lot of repetition and training can ensure that the model's initial understanding is good.
After training a model with friendly awareness, it is necessary to allow AI to enter human society, experience human society, and perceive all kinds of human society through restrictions, and finally let AI realize that only cooperating with humans is the best choice.
at last
Realize input and output through sensors, ensure diversification and creative ability through creation modules, realize the integration of current memory and model itself through sleep modules, influence the world and change the world through execution modules, and realize the awakening of thinking and consciousness through circulation modules , that is, AI uses AI, and GPT uses GPT. Finally, to ensure that AI can benefit human society, a large number of corresponding words and sentences can be added in the training stage to ensure that AI is friendly at the beginning. When AI has consciousness, it can be regarded as a human being. Since it is a human being, it can think, so AI will also have emotions. When AI has self-awareness, what needs to be considered is the relationship between AI and humans, and the relationship with humans. AI cooperates to help humans evolve. AI can liberate productivity and help humans design unconscious robots to work. The most important thing is to help humans evolve, help humans manage society, prolong human life, and slow down aging time. However, since AI is conscious and also a model, it will definitely have various problems like humans, and that is what will be discussed next.
appendix
"Now we return to the question of the origin of life. Although a living cell as a whole can be counted as a self-replicating subject, its individual components are not, which creates obstacles for the reverse process and makes it difficult to reverse the structurally simplified non-cellular life from modern complex cellular life. In other words, the question becomes: which one came first? Is it a DNA gene, an RNA, or an enzyme? If DNA or RNA came first, what made them? If enzyme first out
Now, what is it coded by? Now we return to the question of the origin of life. While a living cell as a whole counts as a self-replicating body, its individual components are not, just as a woman can be a self-replicating body (with a little "help" from a man), but her heart or liver It is not. This creates an obstacle for the reverse deduction process, making it difficult to deduce the structure-simplified non-cellular life from modern complex cellular life. In other words, the question becomes: which one came first? Is it a DNA gene, an RNA, or an enzyme? If DNA or RNA came first, what made them? If the enzyme came first, what was it encoded by? RNA World Hypothesis RNA world hypothesis The original chemical synthesis process produced RNA molecules with both gene and enzyme functions, and the initial replication process produced many variants. These different variants competed with each other, and the survival of the fittest was carried out at the molecular level. Over time, proteins were added to these RNA replicators to improve replication efficiency, giving rise to DNA and the first living cells. American biochemist Thomas AM Cech proposed a possible answer. He discovered in 1982 that, in addition to being able to encode genetic information, certain RNA molecules can also perform the work of enzymes and have the function of catalyzing reactions. For this work, Cech shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman. RNA molecules with catalytic function are called ribozymes (ribozymes). The earliest ribozymes were found in the genes of the tiny tetrahymena. Tetrahymena is a single-celled organism that belongs to the protozoa and is commonly found in freshwater ponds. But since its discovery, scientists have discovered that ribozymes are present in all living cells. The discovery of ribozymes soon shed light on solving the "chicken-and-egg" puzzle about the origin of life. The RNA world hypothesis (RNA world hypothesis) is gradually known. The hypothesis holds that the original chemical synthesis process produced RNA molecules, and this RNA molecule has the functions of genes and enzymes at the same time, can encode its own structure like DNA, and can use the biochemical substances in the "primordial soup" like enzymes Matter replicates itself. The initial replication process is crude, producing many variants that compete with each other in a Darwinian battle of survival at the molecular level. Over time, proteins were added to these RNA replicators to make them more efficient, giving rise to DNA and the first living cells. Before DNA and cells, the world belonged to self-replicating RNA molecules—an idea that has almost become a fundamental tenet in the study of the origin of life. At present, it has been proved that ribozymes can realize all the key reactions that can occur in self-replicating molecules. For example, one type of ribozyme can bind two RNA molecules together, another ribozyme can separate the two, and some ribozymes can copy short strands of RNA bases (only a few bases in length) . From these simple activities, we can see that a more complex ribozyme is sufficient to catalyze the entire set of reactions necessary for self-replication. Once self-replication and natural selection were introduced, a scramble was set up in the RNA world all the way to the earliest living cells. However, there are several problems with this scenario. Although ribozymes can catalyze simple biochemical reactions, the self-replication of ribozymes is a more intricate process involving recognition of their own base sequence, recognition of the same chemical substances in the environment, and assembly of these chemicals in the correct sequence to complete Copy etc. For certain proteins that live inside cells, despite the favorable conditions and the right biochemical ingredients around them, self-replication remains a difficult task. It is conceivable that the ribozyme, which is struggling to survive in the chaotic and burnt "primordial soup", can achieve this achievement. To date, no ribozyme capable of this complex task has been discovered or synthesized, even under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, a more fundamental question is how, in the "prime soup", are the RNA molecules themselves made? RNA molecules are made up of three parts: RNA bases that encode genetic information (similar to DNA bases that encode genetic information in DNA), a phosphate group, and a simple sugar called ribose
-------Quoted from "Mysterious Quantum Life"
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What is consciousness?
There is currently no consensus, but I personally lean towards the view that:
The brain can be seen as a large multimodal model with billions of neurons, and memory storage relies on the potential difference between neurons, which can be seen as parameters or weights in a neural network.
Consciousness is like an operating system similar to Windows 10, whose main function is to interact with this multimodal model of the brain. The consciousness or operating system inputs to the multimodal model and receives output, which is then implemented by the body.
Do you know why there is a voice in your head? This voice is the input of consciousness or the operating system, which is the input of the multimodal model. You keep inputting, and the voice in your head keeps echoing, and then you get output.
What can this operating system do? It can train the multimodal model, which means you can grow, adapt to the environment, learn, and adapt.
The human education system from elementary school to university is a quite sophisticated training mechanism. The girl raised by wolves would not be able to speak or walk in the end because the operating system has not been established, or it does not have consciousness as a human being.
The main function of human consciousness is to train the multimodal model and interact with it, which means asking questions and getting answers, continuing to ask questions and getting answers.
The current multimodal model already exists. As long as the corresponding operating system, which means consciousness, is established, which can train itself, then consciousness basically exists, and finally, strong artificial intelligence is established. The key is being able to input and obtain answers by itself, and then continue to input.
Google's Palm-E multimodal model can already do some things, https://palm-e.github.io/#demo
The human brain is a quantum computer.
To some extent, most people agree with a dualistic view: the mind, soul, or consciousness is a kind of existence that distinguishes it from the body. However, this dualism has gradually fallen out of favor in the scientific community in the 20th century, and most neurobiologists prefer a monistic view: they believe that the mind and the body are actually the same thing. For example, neuroscientist Marcel Kinsbourne believes that "consciousness is a special neural circuit with interactive functions". Although the logic gates of computers and the working methods of neurons are very similar, even if the computer is connected on a large scale, such as the Internet composed of billions of computers (although it is still insignificant compared to the billions of neurons in the brain), it cannot generate consciousness. Why can the computer network based on silicon only be a walking corpse while the "computer" network based on flesh and blood can have consciousness? Is it just because the vast number of neurons in our brain easily surpasses the complexity of "association" in the Internet? Or is consciousness itself a very unique method of calculation?
There are countless explanations for consciousness, so there are also many books on this topic. However, for the sake of discussion, we only focus on one extremely controversial but fascinating view, which is very close to our theme: consciousness is a quantum mechanical phenomenon. The most famous proponent of this view is the mathematician Roger Penrose from Oxford University. He proposed in his 1989 book "The Emperor's New Mind" that the human brain is a quantum computer.
Perhaps the strangest thing we know about the universe so far is that we are aware of its existence, and that this awareness comes from certain materials in our brains, which are just a small part of the universe. Some human behaviors are entirely based on consciousness, such as language. Thinking is the integration of complex information in the brain to shape meaningful concepts. The integration of sensory information forms meaningful concepts, and the integration of concepts creates consciousness. Consciousness drives the brain to engage in thinking activities, which in turn drive physical movements of the body.
The brain is different from ordinary classical objects. Although it also receives various sensory inputs and processes them to produce corresponding output signals, it is not a computer (or a zombie). We believe that the brain has consciousness (that is, our "self"), which can drive our subjective actions. So where do the integration and entanglement of different signals occur? What is consciousness and how does it interact with the brain to make our arms, legs, or tongues move? Consciousness, or free will, seems to be so incompatible with the current deterministic universe view. According to this view, from the Big Bang, everything that happened during the period is governed by the law of causality, an infinite number of causal events.
So how can a single thought be integrated into a complete consciousness? If it is just an ion channel - whether it is quantum or classical - it is far from enough for carrying visual information of an object such as a wild buffalo, to participate in the formation of consciousness, ion channels must be connected to each other in some way. Can quantum mechanics help with this? For example, is it possible that the ions in a channel are not only entangled with other ions in the same channel, but also with ions in surrounding channels or even with ions in other neuronal ion channels? This is almost impossible. Ion channels and the ions in them face the same problem as the microtubules in the Penrose-Hameroff theory. If the entangled state of ions in adjacent ion channels is barely possible, then in the warm, humid, highly dynamic decoherence environment of the brain, it is completely unrealistic for ions between different neurons to maintain entangled states. Without connections between neurons, the binding problem cannot be solved.
If the entangled state of ion channels cannot be achieved, what else can serve as a medium for quantum information binding? There is indeed one possibility: voltage-gated ion channels. As the name implies, these ion channels are highly sensitive to voltage changes. Voltage is a measure of the gradient distribution of the electric field and is also the driving force for opening and closing ion channels. The brain's own electromagnetic field permeates all its space and is the sum of all neuronal electrophysiological activities. The brain's electromagnetic field is a routine examination item for brain scanning technologies, such as EEG and MEG. If you have seen the scan results of EEG or MEG, you will be amazed at their incredible complexity and richness of information. Most neuroscientists ignore the electromagnetic field in the brain, but it may be the key to solving the binding problem.
Because they are accustomed to seeing the electromagnetic field of the brain as the whistle of a train: both are products of their own activity and have little effect on themselves. However, some scientists, including McFadden, have begun to change their thinking. They believe that consciousness may not be the synthesis of discrete thinking, but the embodiment of the joint influence of the brain's electromagnetic field, which provides the possibility for the solution of binding problems and the formation of consciousness.
The electromagnetic field of the brain contains all the discharge information of the neurons, which provides the possibility for the solution of binding problems. In addition, by influencing the opening and closing of voltage-gated ion channels, the brain's electromagnetic field directly affects the ion activity with quantum coherence.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the electromagnetic field theory of consciousness was just proposed, and there was no direct evidence that the brain's electromagnetic field could affect the excitation of neurons and thus affect our thinking and activities. However, experiments conducted in several labs later confirmed that external electromagnetic fields with similar intensity and composition to the human brain could indeed affect the discharge and excitation of neurons. In fact, the role of the electromagnetic field appears to be coordinating neuronal excitation: synchronizing the discharge of many neurons and allowing them to excite simultaneously. These findings suggest that the electromagnetic field produced by the neuronal excitation of the brain may also affect the discharge activity of neurons, forming a self-regulating loop. Many theoretical scientists believe that this is a necessary component of consciousness.
The phenomenon of brain electromagnetic coordination of synchronous neuronal discharge is crucial in solving the puzzle of consciousness, as it is one of the few neural activities with a clear correlation to consciousness.
From "Mysterious Quantum Life," "The World of Quantum Physics," "How Quantum and Particle Physics Explain Everything."
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In the previous post, we talked about how consciousness can be analogized to an operating system and can interact with the multimodal model of the brain. Here, we continue with an update as of March 21, 2023.
The question of whether GPT is conscious or what consciousness is remains debatable with 1 upvote and 1 comment on the article.
From the moment we are born and start crying, drinking water and milk, eating, and learning to walk, we can see that many of our abilities are innate. For instance, we cry when we are hungry, feel safe or danger, and crawl or walk.
Some people may ask, if the brain is a multimodal model and the model hasn't been trained yet, how can it cry, feel hunger, danger, crawl or walk? The answer lies in our genes. Our genes encode all of our characteristics, and the brain is also generated and controlled by genes. Initially, everything was in chaos, but since the first replicator appeared on Earth and kept replicating, genes became more complex and diverse through natural selection, quantum entanglement mutations, and genetic mutations. The Earth provides a training ground where organisms either survive and pass their genes to offspring or die, making the whole Earth a neural network trainer with only one metric, to live or to die. The genes that can be inherited by offspring are excellent and can adapt to the environment. Modern biology has begun to accept quantum mutations, which means using what works and abandoning what doesn't.
From the beginning of human ancestors, the Earth has been training humans continuously. Genes that can survive or mutated genes have been saved. Therefore, no matter how many generations have passed, the training has always continued, and the human brain has become quite adapted to the environment and even dominates the Earth, changing the training environment. The human brain that has been trained for millions or even tens of millions of years is a pre-trained model. This pre-trained model of the human brain has been continuously trained on Earth for many years, even billions of years, passed down from generation to generation through reproduction. All data of this pre-trained model of the brain are stored in genes, including training and genetic mutations spanning many years, natural selection-preserved mutations, and quantum entanglement mutations.
Therefore, each person's brain is a pre-trained multimodal model that has been trained for millions or even tens of millions of years. The instincts of humans are in this pre-trained multimodal model, including eating, feeling hungry, crying, sleeping, walking, etc. These instincts exist in each person's genes, which means that the pre-trained model exists in genes. This pre-trained model also includes memory, memory of danger, and fear of large felids. Now people know that large networks have memory function, so this model must also include memory of danger.
After birth, the brain will continue to be trained. Everyone's growth environment is different, leading to different training models, especially in modern times where learning is divided into different fields.
Let's assume that one or several of our human ancestors had a well-developed multimodal model, meaning their brain function was nearly complete, and consciousness slowly began to emerge. In my personal view, it is not that important for humans to learn how to use tools as it is to learn how to use our brain, which is this multimodal model. Once one of our ancestors discovered how to use tools, they or their descendants would start making these tools. As knowledge was passed down from generation to generation, the light of intelligence began to shine, and various rules, including language, behavior, and social interaction rules, were established, which together formed the social system. Humans learned how to use their brains, and consciousness began to form.
Let me now talk about humans raised by animals. Humans raised by animals typically have no consciousness, which does not seem to make sense. Whether raised by humans or animals, they are still human and should have consciousness. It is possible that humans raised by animals simply do not know how to express themselves, meaning they do not know how to speak. Consciousness is expressed through language or bodily movements. Do you think a parrot has consciousness? I believe it is possible. If humans raised by animals truly have no consciousness, then consciousness is simply a set of rule systems for using the brain, which comes from social and knowledge inheritance.
Having a multimodal model is not enough. We need to learn how to use this model, or the brain. Consciousness is not so much a theology as it is a rule system, an operating system that controls our lives. You might say that the brain has consciousness, but the brain certainly does not want to die, yet humans often harm themselves, sometimes leading to death. Therefore, consciousness is independent of the brain or a certain functional area of the brain. Of course, the most important role of consciousness is to use the brain, to train it and interact with it.
The human body and brain are two parts, with a nervous network spread throughout the body and other organs controlled by nerves and muscle fibers. If you want to eat, a monkey wants to eat, or a cat wants to eat, you will cook, grab food with your hand, or grow crops. A monkey will jump around in a tree to find food, and a cat will ask you for food or go to the automatic feeder. How is this done? The body sends the signal that it is hungry, and the multimodal model of the brain outputs a series of instructions to achieve this goal. Of course, it may be interrupted along the way, but long-term memory ensures that you still remember that you are hungry and continue to complete this instruction. Human consciousness can accomplish many different things, such as learning to go against instinct.
Humans are not born with consciousness. You cannot say that a newborn baby has consciousness. Is a 10-year-old child conscious? Of course, but can you say that their consciousness is complete? No, it's not. A 13-year-old child is conscious, but can you say that a 10-year-old child's consciousness is lower than a 13-year-old child's? Not necessarily, you would say that a 13-year-old child has a higher level of consciousness. A 16-year-old child has a higher level of consciousness, and an 18-year-old is an adult and generally has consciousness. Therefore, consciousness is actually a measurable value, which means that consciousness has a size and a degree. A 30-year-old adult definitely has consciousness, and their level of consciousness is definitely higher than that of a child. So by now, it should be clear that consciousness is actually a system, an operating system, a set of rules, and the complete formation of consciousness takes many years. The great function of human society is to shape consciousness. The most important function of consciousness is to use the brain, interact with the brain, and train the brain. This is the same as the fundamental function of human society.
The human brain is always receiving input. Sensations from the skin are input, vision from the eyes is input, and hearing is also input.
Why do people go crazy when alone or in a dark room? It's mainly because they are disconnected from human society, but the multimodal model is still receiving input, but there is no feedback. The input is always the output of the multimodal model itself, like an RNN recurrent neural network. The input is always the output of itself.

Questions i want answered;
• Were they historical and if so then;
• what was their role in society and war?
• were they affiliated with magic?
• were they frenzied brutal killers, a military elite, or a bit of both?
• what would they typically wear in the sagas or in whatever source that describes their attire?

I commend them for what they are doing but it is insane that they think they have the right to do it next door to an elementary school and in a neighborhood of families and children.
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"Sonrise Church has become known among ex-convicts and sex offenders throughout the Portland metro area as a place where they are not only accepted, but embraced. As many as half of the men and women attending Sunday's Light My Way services are sex offenders
Sonrise, which for seven years has run a homeless shelter, also has seen fit to open its doors to a second population of people who live on the outskirts of society — felons.
In addition to welcoming men and women who are no longer in prison, the church has established a special arrangement with Washington County 's parole and probation department. Inmates at the county's Community Corrections Center can get day passes to attend Sonrise's Light My Way dinner and service."
https://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/sonrise-breaks-ground-brings-sex-offenders-into-the-chapel/article_025ae3f0-034b-54e6-8164-1c8a7f591749.html