I feel you. I know how many hits I can get in just stabbing at unexpected moments at long range with my sword, with a spear it would be plenty easier.

Have you ever fenced against a spear?

Debatable, considering that with relativity and all one might age slower, thus pushing into a lower age braked.

Disclaimer a: Great shower thought! Disclaimer b: I am really bad a physics, make me rip if needed.

I once read a fairly interesting take on this: Historical settings are often chosen to wrap the story in a certain context in order to allow the reader to picture the style and theme without having to establish and explain a new setting first, so basically you skip on world building. If you read an analogy to Zeus you will immediately have an image in mind as well as a bunch of characteristics, no need to establish that beforehand.

Now, considering this it makes sense to choose a setting people already know - the 16th centruy Ottoman Empire is certainly interesting, but the average reader might know next to nothing about it and you have to explain everything first.

Why are these three settings used so much? Well, it’s positive feedback! Literature, Theatres and Video Games will select something well known and it receives popularity. In addition, a piece of media using a less-popular setting will have to a) compete with other media to become popular and b) provide plenty of worldbuilding in order to have the setting make sense. A piece of media that both establishes a “new” setting AND is very popular is going to be rare, making the entry of a new mythology/historical setting into mainstream difficult.

Blowing into an enclosed space is chaotic, the fan has to push against air currents being deflected. Blowing into an open space (aka sucking out of you dishwasher) is much more orderly, the fan can simply pull the air out and there are much fewer air currents running orthogonal.

This is as far as my very basic knowledge goes here. You can try this effect by exhaling and inhaling air through a barely open mouth or a straw.

EDIT: On a related note, never “blow” during fellatio.

At my job we recently had an old device that was used to produce the sound a phone makes when the line is busy, open, etc. . It’s about arm length and 20 cm thick, you can distinguish the cogs producing the phase from the signal.

I mean, yes of course I would, but solely because I somehow voted for Trump.

Because expunging an endemic disease is a hell of a lot of effort. Zero Covid didn’t work (ask Winnie the Pooh), so most efforts were undertaken instead to weather the large amount of simultaneous harsh cases where patients required a ventilator and constant medical attention.

Would it be possible? Probably, but do you really want to convince Billions of people worldwide to regularly buy and use tests, masks and to distance where possible for a few years? I mean, I’m in Biotech, I’d live a fulfilled live employment-wise - if I don’t get gunned down due to political violence that would ensue.

I think there used to be a teaching that depiction of humans was - for some reason - forbidden. But my source is the novel “Der Medicus” , so take that with a teaspoon of salt.

Thanks for the info! I didn’t think they were widespread, but figured they might be a bit wholesome and would light up this thread :)

Projecting ads onto the tunnel walls off of a moving subway. Seen in mainland Taiwan China.

I’d like to add that there are good versions of “microloans”! I learned that there used to be (or still are, didn’t check) non-profit " banks" in some parts of India (and South africa I think) that would give out small loans of a few dollars to a few hundred dollars (which can be quite a lot of money in India). There was no collateral and low interest, but a group of people had to apply for a loan together. Until the first loan was paid back, the rest of the group couldn’t apply again. It was meant to provide financial backing and capital to microbusinesses (e.g. fishers, farmers, peddlers) that would otherwise be excluded from the financial market due to a lack of collateral and otherwise be forced to take high-interest loans.

This headline could use some Mandy Rice-Davies.

Great answers already, I’d like to add a few things: Lithium batteries like to be charged at 1C, meaning that if they have a capacity of 1.6 Ah they like to be charged at 1.6 A and will (theoretically) be fully charged in one hour (this is wrong in practice though). You can charge most of them at a higher rate (e.g. at 3.2 A), but they should be rated for it. If you don’t better, stick to a lower amperage. Too low of an amperage should not be an issue but I’m not sure - it will take ages though.

The voltage has to fit! Batteries change their voltage over the course of charging/discharging. This is more pronounced in older NiMH or NiCdH (discard those) batteries but still relevant. A 12V charger can charge your batteries to 12V. Most chargers can handle different voltages and will usually select the correct voltage depending on the battery. This is important if you are charging LiIons or LiPos (two types of Lithium batteries), as overcharging them is NOT advised. They generally peak at around 4.2V per cell I think with a working charge (don’t know the term) of 3.7V per cell. Some chargers require you to select the number of cells. Charging a 2-cell LiPo with 12-13 volt is a bad idea I wager and charging a 3-cell LiPo with 9.something volt won’t work (it won’t drain it, but the minimal voltage is higher than what the charger provides - current would like to flow the other way if It could).

TL,DR: If you can adjust the charging parameters manually or you are doing something the manual states you shouldn’t be doing, educate yourself. If however you only plug in your phone (with a painfully small battery at 2 Ah) and only provide a 1.5A*5V=7.5W charger, you are perfectly fine.

True, every positive test is also a negative test and vice versa :D

It’s hard to believe someone can stomach to take a stance against such overwhelming cruelty - which was probably the intention. Not exactly a new form of terrorism, but shocking nonetheless.

Hot take.

I don’t mean to imply anything, but this post was listed maybe one scroll away from the piracy community welcoming everyone to SimpleX. Unfortunate timing.

No, that can’t be right, Black Flag released just a few years ago … I remember it like it’s yesterday …

It depends on the kind. There are groups that would prefer to see human presence reduced to a speck so nature can thrive. There are groups that somehow care for one single bog or meadow but fail to see the bigger picture. There are also those that simply want to protect everything and do support large projects provided they fulfill a lot of regulations. There are also people such as myself who have given themselves to Realpolitik: Local environmentalism is pointless if global protection fails (some drama added for effect)