Random Thoughts Sechs: Eeeeehhhh...

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I read this article. And thought it was interesting. But I'm confused on why the journalist decided to interview some random woman. Besides, Feed Nova Scotia would probably be without power too.
 
I read this article. And thought it was interesting. But I'm confused on why the journalist decided to interview some random woman. Besides, Feed Nova Scotia would probably be without power too.
She was obviously a concerned customer who noticed something she thought might be amiss. It's no different from the times when reporters interview witnesses to an accident or other incident.
 
Last night I played the role of the chigger whisperer. There was a thread on reddit about how chiggers digest your flesh and the thread was filled with terrible home remedies that involved vaseline, nail polish and acetone and I spent a lot of effort going around and correcting people. Normally I wouldn't care but I've been bitten by chiggers and it is so insanely painful and itchy I felt duty-bound to speak up to save people the misery. People think the burrow into your flesh and camp out for a while and you can suffocate them with nail polish but this isn't the case. They instead inject you with enzymes which digest your flesh and analgesics so you don't feel it. Then they fall off and by the time the analgesics wear off and you feel the bite, they're long gone. The enzymes stick around for a long time though and cause intensely painful and itchy welts and craters in your skin. If you take a hot shower with the water as hot as you can stand it, the heat will denature (break down) the enzymes they use to digest you and provide a lot of relief.

Also, I wonder where Sting got this logo from?
Spoiler :

Spoiler :


Also, we need a change.org petition to rename chiggers.
 
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What the hell is a chigger? I thought you were talking about some D&D campaign or something until the third sentence.
 
Wait. If you're saying it's worse then you're comparing them… :mischief:
 
While we are on the subject: it always bothered me how overinflated Saruman's sense of his own military power was. Like, he declared in his epic Hitler speech to the Uruk-Hai that a new power was rising and he secretly had plans to betray Sauron. Meanwhile I'm thinking to myself "has this dusty old fool never heard of Mordor?" Saruman had 10,000 Uruks under his command (based on that being the number sent to Helm's Deep and the line about "all Isengard is emptied"). Even if they won at Helm's Deep that battle would have cost him at least a few thousand. Sure those could be replaced in his little pits, but that's still going to take a while.

Sauron's forces on the other hand likely numbered in the millions. Remember that it was very clearly stated in the books (and I believe the extended version of the movie) that the 200,000 sent against Minas Tirith only comprised a small fraction of the forces available to Sauron. If 200,000 was a small fraction of his forces, then Saruman and his small warband of Uruk-Hai would have been ROFLstomped by Mordor.

The new Power he was referring to was actually Sauron. If you read the books that bit of dialogue is actually taken from Gandalf's account of his encounter with Saruman at Isengard where Saruman betrayed and imprisoned Gandalf.
The full quote from the book:
"And listen, Gandalf, my old friend and helper! " he said, coming near and speaking now in a softer voice. "I said we, for we it may be, if you will join with me. A new Power is rising. Against it the old allies and policies will not avail us at all. There is no hope left in Elves or dying Númenor. This then is one choice before you. before us. We may join with that Power. It would be wise, Gandalf. There is hope that way. Its victory is at hand; and there will be rich reward for those that aided it. As the Power grows, its proved friends will also grow; and the Wise, such as you and I, may with patience come at last to direct its courses, to control it. We can bide our time, we can keep our thoughts in our hearts, deploring maybe evils done by the way, but approving the high and ultimate purpose: Knowledge, Rule, Order; all the things that we have so far striven in vain to accomplish, hindered rather than helped by our weak or idle friends. There need not be, there would not be, any real change in our designs, only in our means."

Tolkien referred to the angelic beings, the Ainur, who participated in the creation of Arda by song as "Powers" throughout the Silmarillion and LOTR, IIRC.
 
They instead inject you with enzymes which digest your flesh and analgesics so you don't feel it. Then they fall off and by the time the analgesics wear off and you feel the bite, they're long gone. The enzymes stick around for a long time though and cause intensely painful and itchy welts and craters in your skin. If you take a hot shower with the water as hot as you can stand it, the heat will denature (break down) the enzymes they use to digest you and provide a lot of relief.

Does that work for mosquito bites too? Please let that also work for mosquito bites.
 
I put the right combination of words in Google and found this.

The problem is that typically, proteins denature at around 60C, which is 140F. Also, you would have to get that heat through the layer of skin, which means you would likely have to go even hotter. In the end, you would likely give yourself a 3rd degree burn before actually denaturing those enzymes.

Oh.
 
I started writing a new story, trying to have a novelette- length work to send to another publisher of noir/mystery/similar stuff.

It may not end up in the garbage bin. Currently it is at the middle of chapter 2 (of at least 5, and possibly 6 chapters), and at 4800 words.

The working title is "Revolving gate" or something like that, a little less cacophonous in the original Greek. Title very likely will change by the end.

Adapted the main scene/climax from a 10 (or 15? not sure)-year old dream about a person's army photo, where he curiously has the head of an animal but seems happy.
 
The new Power he was referring to was actually Sauron. If you read the books that bit of dialogue is actually taken from Gandalf's account of his encounter with Saruman at Isengard where Saruman betrayed and imprisoned Gandalf.
The full quote from the book:
"And listen, Gandalf, my old friend and helper! " he said, coming near and speaking now in a softer voice. "I said we, for we it may be, if you will join with me. A new Power is rising. Against it the old allies and policies will not avail us at all. There is no hope left in Elves or dying Númenor. This then is one choice before you. before us. We may join with that Power. It would be wise, Gandalf. There is hope that way. Its victory is at hand; and there will be rich reward for those that aided it. As the Power grows, its proved friends will also grow; and the Wise, such as you and I, may with patience come at last to direct its courses, to control it. We can bide our time, we can keep our thoughts in our hearts, deploring maybe evils done by the way, but approving the high and ultimate purpose: Knowledge, Rule, Order; all the things that we have so far striven in vain to accomplish, hindered rather than helped by our weak or idle friends. There need not be, there would not be, any real change in our designs, only in our means."

Tolkien referred to the angelic beings, the Ainur, who participated in the creation of Arda by song as "Powers" throughout the Silmarillion and LOTR, IIRC.
Strictly speaking, Sauron is a Maia (lesser Ainu) and the Powers with a capital P are the Valar. By proclaiming himself a Vala Sauron takes up his former master Melkor's mantle as master of the dark forces, etc. etc.
 
So I saw an article on the CBC about how the Conservatives want to introduce a tax credit to increase use of public transport. (I'm just going to ignore the comments.)

You know what would increase use of public transport even more? IF IT WAS ACTUALLY AVAILABLE.
Yep. I saw an article the other day about a new bus route from Banff to Moraine Lake (after you've taken the bus from Calgary to Banff).

What they (whoever put this scheme in) don't realize is that there are lots of people who would love to visit those places, but can't get to Calgary by bus. This the sort of holiday I'd love. It's been 15 years since the last time I was in the mountains, and it would do wonders for my mental health, not to mention helping me to relax physically. Even spending a half-hour by Lake Minnewanka or some other lake up in the mountains is some of the best "medicine" ever.

I recognize some of the names in the comments. It doesn't matter what the topic of the article is about. They're paid Reformacon shills who post the same assigned talking points on article after article, spamming over a dozen times in some cases. The unaccountable 'moderators' do nothing to stop them, but are quick to disable the posts of anyone criticizing this.
 
I accidentally set my daily word-count goal to 300,000. That's a bit much. :lol:
 
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Strictly speaking, Sauron is a Maia (lesser Ainu) and the Powers with a capital P are the Valar. By proclaiming himself a Vala Sauron takes up his former master Melkor's mantle as master of the dark forces, etc. etc.

Does that include the power? Can someone just step up to be a valar? Doesn't Eru have something to say about that or...was it just the title?

 
I saw some lactose-free Cheesestrings at the grocery store. I didn't know they made those.
 
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