There is no link to this - it's a personal experience, and I am curious as to what YOU would have done.

I just had a tense moment at an isolated Chase Bank drive-up ATM. I drove up, used my card, and was waiting for the money when I saw this big rough-looking dude walking toward the front of my truck. He was about twenty yards away, and already giving the "my car broke down, trying to get wife and kids back on the road. Can you help me out? blah, blah..." when I said, "Stop right where you frickin' are. Don't come any closer, I don't CARE what your story is - you DON'T panhandle at an ATM!" I checked my rear view mirror to see if someone else was coming up behind me. He was alone, but was still inching toward me. I told him to stop again. I grabbed the bucks, and drove out in a hurry.

I am not a heartless SOB, and I have given handouts at intersections, but this was in an area with no one else near - a bad location for an ATM. I've had plenty of experience with firearms, but I haven't touched a gun since 1970. Honestly, if I had had a gun today, I would have been reaching for it. What would you have done?

In the mid 17th century there lived a notorious pirate named Captain Cox.

Cox was a master of disrupting the Transatlantic Triangular Trade. The captain was known for ruthlessness, cunning, and wealth.

But a tragically common girl crosses paths with our captain and learns a secret with the potential to ruin the captain's entire career.

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2277654/1/Of_Love_and_Plunder

Rated M - Mature for an older audience.

The evil bastard in me wants to see you copy this and start playing with it at events.

The sensible adult in me still wants you to do this but doesn't want to be any where near you when your playing with it.

"Everett Bradford's 'Prometheus Device' is a hand-mounted appliance that shoots fire.


The step by step how to make it here
http://picasaweb.google.com/Everett.Bradford/Prometheus#

I made lasagna tonight and the pan I used was smaller than it should have been. As a result I have a bunch of extra bechamel sauce that wouldn't go into the pan. How can I use it up?

I was thinking about throwing together an alfredo sauce but I'd also be curious to hear other suggestions, as googling has only led me to lots of recipes for making the sauce itself.

thanks all! :)

Was made of steam-powered awesomeness! A huge thankyou to all my panelists, contestants, and general eye-candy. I kept hearing over and over "OMG I've never seen so many amazing costumes".

Of course, pics will be dribbling in in the days and weeks to come but here is a sample to get you started

( Clickity-clack )

Crossposted to darksumomo.

Michigan News

Detroit Free Press: Michigan will be among the poorest states for years, study says
BY CHRIS CHRISTOFF
FREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU CHIEF

Reliance on a shrinking automotive industry, the loss of 1 million jobs, outmoded taxes and lack of government reforms will make Michigan one of the nation's 10 poorest states for the foreseeable future, according to a study released Wednesday.

Michigan's state government -- trailing just Rhode Island and Arizona -- was amid nine states in danger of following California into an even deeper financial crisis, the report by the Pew Center on the States said.

"Michigan is adjusting to a new normal, where the state may just have to deal with a permanent set of pared-back services," said Susan Urahn, managing director for the Washington-based think tank.

Detroit Free Press: Billions for state, but where are jobs?
BY TODD SPANGLER
FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF

WASHINGTON -- Seven months into the massive federal stimulus program, the vast majority of government grants, contracts and loans in Michigan so far have created or retained virtually no jobs, a Free Press analysis shows.

The analysis also revealed that others who have been promised or have received stimulus money have overstated -- in some cases greatly -- the number of jobs created or protected.

Obama administration and state officials say it's too early to draw conclusions about the overall impact of the $787-billion nationwide program to stimulate the economy and generate jobs. They promise that job growth will follow as more funding arrives.

( State budget, unemployment, green businesses, education, and recession chic behind the cut. )

Machine Empathy (examples: Kaylee on Firefly or Micah on Heroes) or Animal Communication (like my character on dc_nation, hippie_shifter)

Cemeteries in the middle of a city always catch my attention.

They used to be out in the middle of nowhere.

This one probably has upwards of 5,000 graves in it. I don't know for sure, because I didn't count...

Graves side by side in neat and tidy rows, granite of all shades shining in the afternoon light.

But as always, it was the lonely ones in the unkempt section that called to me...
( Image intensive under the cut... )
The journey is good.

If I remember correctly, I shot this from the boat taking us to Mackinac Island from St. Ignace, MI in 1976. Unfortunately I loped off part of the base.

For anyone in the Brisbane Australia districts, or hell even if you're from anywhere else. I'm trekkin from Sydney for this affair cos its just too cool to miss! Brisbane's Premier Steampunk nightclub is having its first birthday! Can you believe its already been a year??



And what a night we have in store for you!

Club 320 will be transformed into dual rooms of sensory overload featuring the talents of:

No Standing Cello Quartet
Opalesque Bellydance Troupe
Burlesque by Red Devotchkin
Roving Performance by Elke Pixie
The PB Audio Corps

The icing on the cake? Voodoo Lulu Alternative Clothing struts the boards with a fashion preview of visual magnificence.

Are you reeling? A little hot under those crisp collars and tight-laced corsets? We certainly are. And that isn't all.

Prometheus Bound plays host to a celebration of Razorjack, the "hard-boiled SF noir" from the embarrassingly talented John Higgins; better known for his work on Judge Dredd, 2000AD, Hellblazer, The Hills Have Eyes, Batman: The Killing Joke, and Watchmen.

PB will be partying on an international scale, with Com.X holding a sister party in the UK. To celebrate (and possibly tear holes in the fabric of reality), anyone showing up in a Twist Bitch costume gets discounted entry. Want to know more? Download the 22 page teaser here; then visit your friendly purveyors of comic-y glory at Ace Comics Brisbane City for the trade collection.

On top of that we are running a raffle. Not your usual pay-some-money-to-possibly-win-something-you-really-don't-want kind of raffle.

We have Prize packs galore! Full of fantabulous goodies from Wondermark by David Malki (yes THAT Wondermark, the comic strip of Victorian glee), Dr. Steel, Com.X comics, PB's own bits and pieces and an assortment of other deliciousness.

Have no fear, for we will still be running our patented brand of audience participatory freebie giveaways. But be warned, the trivia will be harder and we are introducing charades.

Doors shall be opening one hour early, 7pm to be precise, so that we may get through all of the above.

For now we must depart in search of tea. It will be a pleasure to see you on Saturday, 21st November at Club 320!

--The PB Crew

When: Saturday 21st November 2009 -- From 7PM

Where: Club 320, Basement Entrance, Cnr Leichhardt & Boundary Sts Spring Hill.

Cost: $15/$8conc (conc = Student/HCC/Pension/4ZzZ Sub Card Holders, Toy Soldiers, Twist Bitches & Other event stamped or ticketed peoples)

Hope to see a whole bunch of steamy people there ready to PARTY!

From now on, the community will also feature picspams! I made one the other day on my personal LJ (malfana) and I gotta admit that it was really fun to make it. So I decided to move the whole thing in here. Do not hesitate to ask for a specific theme. I'll do my best to please you!

#0001 - a first look at the Supernatural Convention in Chicago 2009!



More here @ naiarts

So I'm not what you'd call 'new' to conventions at all, although I am quite a bit rusty. Years back I went to more than a few anime conventions large and small...hit up things like DragonCon a time or two. Money has been tight though and its been awhile since I've managed one, aside from a Doctor Who convention I managed earlier this year. It was my first convention for just one general fandom versus a grab bag selection but...it was fun, and pretty much went the way I thought it would. I've been getting a little more into the Supernatural fandom recently though and the actors seem like alot of fun, I'm having a great time watching videos of their panels and the like and decided to do a little digging about any possible conventions. I have to say I was....surprised.

Maybe because its for a show based in the US for some reason, or is this just the direction conventions are starting to take? ( I'd love some input from those of you with more experience... )

oh yeah, and roast beef, too. And gravy, and peas, and roasted carrots, and garlic mashed potatoes. But most importantly, YORKSHIRE PUDDING.


This was my first attempt at this grand and most favourite meal. I did overcook the meat, which I think is a common issue, but it was still so so tasty. I am currently enjoying cold roast beef sandwiches with mustard.



Brought to you by The Cast-Iron Darling!

My bread fanaticism began when publishers sent me a copy of Andrew Whitley’s new book, Bread Matters: The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own. The book makes the case for bread activism -- avoiding possibly harmful and certainly less wholesome mass-produced bread in favor of making your own. Apart from just a political stance, though, Whitley presents breadmaking as an artform -- and one that doesn't have to be too time-consuming, at that. He calculates that a loaf of bread takes about 30-40 minutes of active work punctuated by periods of waiting.

This was my first experience with letting a sponge ferment for days and baking it into a loaf of delicious bread -- and I'm hooked on the experience, from mixing, to kneading, to proofing, to baking, to eating! My boyfriend and I ate our cheese bread with chicken and dumplings, and then used the leftovers for something decidedly more sinister . . . :)




( recipe and photos, including a picture of the PERFECT USE for leftover cheese bread )


To read my review of the book Bread Matters, listen to me waxing poetic about bread, see a photo of how entertaining kneading can be, or just to see more pictures of that amazing breakfast sandwich, please head over to my baking blog, Willow Bird Baking!

x posted to food_porn, bakebakebake, and cooking

Setting: A galaxy far far away, quite a way into the future with human colonists on a distant world.

Searches tried: Looked up various pages on Mescaline and the physical and mental effects and side effects. Cross referenced with a little of own knowledge.

The situation: A character has just taken a dose of a more potent derivative of Mescaline in order to induce a vision quest style thing (there's more to it than that, but I don't see this being relevant to the problem so I'll keep it short). His girlfriend is a qualified Doctor (she's a research medic but can still practise medicine) who administered the drug and is, of course, aware that things are going wrong. My question is: How will she react in order to attempt to save his life?

The technology level of this setting is a little more futuristic than the modern world. They have slightly better medical tech (such as the ability to synthesise drugs) a little more knowledge about drug interactions on the human body and how to manipulate chemical structure to improve effects or reduce side effects (but not eliminate them completely and in some cases not at all due to that reducing the wanted effects) and a little better knowledge of pathology. However, they do not have any fancy 'star trek style' insta-heals or hyposprays or anything like that - I want medicine to be gritty and bloody and still involve things like needles in the arms and breaking the ribcage doing CPR.

Looking at this issue I have found all the symptoms of mescaline use (tachycardia, raised or lowered blood glucose, perspiration and nausea and so on...) but I think I need to get a medic's opinion on what she would do to diagnose and treat all these symptoms. I am assuming the following:

- she is under the impression that his current physical state is life threatening and he will die if she does nothing. This may or may not be the case but her triage tells her it is the case and she has to act now.
- They are in the middle of a forest, miles from anywhere. She could get help summoned quickly but she still has to act to stop him from dying now. Besides, what they are doing is 'slightly illegal' so she would prefer to do it without involving anyone of authority but will do so if it is essential.
- She is prepared for this eventuality, knowing what the drug was and that he intended to take it. This is an experiment he is conducting and she has come along specifically to prevent his stupidity from killing him. So, she can have a doctor's bag with any drugs or equipment in it that she thinks she would need.

So, what would a modern doctor do in this situation? I ask this so I can extrapolate some sci fi treatments to fit the setting.

What would be the most likely of the physical symptoms that are life threatening? Is it the tachycardia? Is it the effects on blood glucose (I notice that the effect changes dependent on dose - raised if low dose, lowered if high - so I am assuming low in this case but does it get as seriously low or high as it can in a Type I Diabetic to the point of risking death?) Or is there another effect I have not mentioned which may be the one that risks death? Bear in mind these symptoms can be greatly exaggerated as the drug is an untested, modified version.

Thanks in advance for any help with anything to do with this situation.

Posting for a friend!

(Previous searches: Galton whistles, flute making and many variations thereof.)

The story is set in Europe in the middle ages, so something of the period would be awesome, but the story is flexible enough for a certain amount of handwaving to get the instrument I need.

My story requires a wind instrument that can play music both within and beyond human hearing. Does such an instrument exist? If not, would it be possible to modify or custom build some sort of flute or recorder that could do it? What would be the physical characteristics of the instrument? (I'm guessing longer and thinner than a regular flute.) Would it require special skill to play it? I know that if you blow hard enough into a regular flute or recorder, the sound will go up an octave. Perhaps a "Galton flute" could only be correctly played by somebody with immense lung-power? (This would actually be a major benefit, story-wise.)

Thank you in advance.

The spread...

I'm still looking for a few more doll pictures for my forthcoming YouTube Vitas video http://community.livejournal.com/thrifthorror/295004.html
A big thank you to those who have already contributed pictures, who will of course be credited. Contributions don't have to be new - archive thrifthorror photos are equally welcome.



This one's probably the best candidate since she's a bona fide speaking doll. Her catchphrases include "I love you Mommy!" and "Read me a story please!" Perhaps the most disturbing thing is that if I found a version of her dress in my size I'd wear it...

( More... )

A friend of mine sent me a link to an online copy of a Victorian book called Fancy Dresses Described; or, What to Wear at Fancy Balls.

It is mostly for women, but there is a short section talking about men's wear. There's pictures and descriptions for the rest, and I thought some people here might find some interesting inspiration :) Seeing as it is a Victorian book, there are some horrible racial stereotypes, though -_-

My girlfriend and I went to a flea market this afternoon and found these:


Tesla pins! The red one in the middle is my favourite.
( Among other things )