Past The Edge of Reason

Calling for help.

I have fourteen microwaveable heating pads up for sale on my shop! They're soft flannel, and stay warm for quite a while! I know it's warming up here in the northern hemisphere, but they're great for achy joints or cramps too.

phased vs. fazed phased is typically followed by in or out, used to mean when something is introduced or being stopped slowly: “The company has slowly been phasing in the new software.” fazed refers to the state of being bothered by something; usually used in its negative form: “She remained unfazed.”

discrete vs. discreet discrete is usually used in a mathematical context and means to separate: “It is an ongoing process rather than a discrete event.” discreet means something inconspicuous or subtle: “I want this handled discreetly.”

ascent vs. assent ascent refers to climbing something: “She begun the ascent at dawn.” assent is a formal way to refer to agreeing: “The consumer needs to assent to the privacy agreement.”

Mike Grell did these headshots of the Bronze Age-era Legion of Super-Heroes, the comic that first brought him to comic book readers' attention.

ROLL CALL (from left-to-right, top-to-bottom): Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Superboy, Dawnstar, Mon-El, Shadow Lass, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, Princess Projectra, Karate Kid, Phantom Girl, Shrinking Violet, Star Boy, Dream Girl, Colossal Boy, Tyroc, Light Lass, Timber Wolf, Chameleon Boy, Element Lad, Brainiac 5, Supergirl, Sun Boy, Invisible Kid, Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy, and Matter-Eater LAd.

"Hardison, this thing cannot be in my pantry, get it out of here"

Reverse heist where Parker places it on display in the British Museum

Records changed to make it look like it was wrongly identified as early work by someone who later became intensely famous and respected, and like a lot of money was paid for it

Assorted experts in colonized countries alerted to embarrassing "mistake"

General mockery ensues throughout the art world

Press joins in general mockery

Parker steals painting BACK along with a few other minor artifacts (that happen to quietly find their way back to rightful owners)

British Museum reports actual thefts, is accused of trying to run an insurance scam as no one would take notoriously fake painting

Painting mysteriously appears in background shot of tech billionaire's home interview

Immediate trending topic + virulent online mockery of billionaire's horrible taste

Billionaire doesn't go to jail, but suffers massive reputational damage for unprovable but highly suspicious link to art theft / scam

Billionaire's stock plummets, potentially lucrative deal to buy social media site falls through as result

Painting goes missing AGAIN

At this point every rich person with an art collection is terrified of being linked to the theft

Numerous stolen / looted art items preemptively returned

Meanwhile, painting reappears in Eliot's pantry

Dammit, Hardison!

Here are some basic primers. If someone is wearing what look like Meta glasses, they usually have a small circular camera in the outer corners of the lenses, like the one on your phone.

I would also regularly check their own product pages so you're on top of what the models look like. They tend to have larger frames, but come in a variety of shapes and colors.

A new hobbyist developed app warns if people nearby may be wearing smart glasses, such as Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, which stalkers and harassers have repeatedly used to film people without their knowledge or consent. The app scans for smart glasses’ distinctive Bluetooth signatures and sends a push alert if it detects a potential pair of glasses in the local area.

The American Foundation for the Blind has said that "The Ray-Ban Meta glasses are an accessibility tool only by coincidence. That makes them more affordable and, in many ways, unaware of the needs of users with reduced vision" although they do have seemingly positive views on Meta Glasses as a whole. (source 10). It also seems like their marketing push as accessibility devices began last year (source 11).

But to add even more into the nonsense, Meta is now toying around with adding a "limit" to the functionality of their glasses unless their users pay for more access (source 12). AND, as stated above, Meta has officially added facial recognition code in their glasses and only admitted it after being called out, which is basically the death of privacy as we know it (source 13, source 14, source 15). And oh look another lawsuit because of it (source 16) THAT THEY LOST (source 17)!

Long story short: I don't begrudge someone using them as a disability aid overall, but ultimately both their privacy and other people's privacy are being disregarded by Meta and that is not and should not be acceptable by any means.

I understand there is no ethical consumption under capitalism but there is a level of personal responsibility someone has to take when using them if they truly truly need them, such as opting out of sharing information, not filming strangers without permission, not posting footage of strangers online, opting out of facial recognition if possible, etc.

We're heading into Act V and the cask o' quintessence has made it to the excavation! Now all that's left is to send it underground and let it blow. I realise this plays as one scene in the original, but to get the position changes I wanted to convey the sense that Scarlet had just travelled deep underground and then needed to return, I needed a scene change. For that reason, I'm bringing you Scenes 1 and 2 today. Want to know how a Jacobean would explain the differences in velocity between sound and light? You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how Blue does it!

ACT V

SCENE I. The entrance to a great vault.

Enter CHORUS.

CHORUS

In suburbs doth a small stone fortress stand,

And to a fleeting glance above the ground,

This rude stone hut no outward sign doth give,

Of cavern vast atop which it doth sit.

A league beneath the grass a vault begins,

And larger still this vault the cask should make.

Nought but three minutes in the glass doth stand,

Ere quintessence will London turn to sand.

Exit CHORUS. Enter BLUE astride a Pursuant Engine and SCARLET astride a waggon.

BLUE Make haste, drive straight into the engin’d hoist,

The levers and the wheels shall I locate.

The doors behind you fast do I now make.

Hold hard! Full tempest now down goest thou!

The quintessential engine begins to smoke. SCARLET descendeth. Enter Mysterons.

Mysterons

Ninety seconds in the glass,

Half a league doth Scarlet pass,

Haste more should this Scarlet try,

Then failure do we now espy.

Belike a victory we gain,

Or else will Scarlet feel new pain.

Exeunt Mysterons.

BLUE

Bind your footing!

Exit BLUE.

SCENE II. A great vault.

Enter SCARLET, astride smoking waggon and BLUE, above.

SCARLET

And now but forty seconds in the glass,

Belike, the danger surely now doth pass.

This quintessence here can we station so,

Alack, this cask now bears a lustrous glow!

BLUE

The sands run dry, of this rope do take hold!

BLUE throws a rope from above.

Make haste! Make haste!

SCARLET

Aloft, this Captain hoist!

SCARLET ascendeth. Enter Mysterons, above.

Mysterons

Rudely, plan of ours defeated,

Vengeance ours shall not be meted.

Would the Earthman had but tarried,

A moment more with Lady harried.

This riddle still unanswer’d stands,

As glasses run their final sands,

How did this Earthman fast locate,

This quintessence at hour so late?

Though plan of ours doth now lie slain,

Let Scarlet share our bitter pain.

Mysterons have not forgotten,

Vengeance ours will be begotten.

The Mysterons seize BLUE, he unhands the rope. SCARLET falls. Alarum and stage cannons. Exeunt Mysterons.

BLUE

How now? Art thou hurt? Captain Scarlet? Art thou hurt?

SCARLET

For now, Captain. For now.

'Let Scarlet share our bitter pain.

Mysterons have not forgotten,