the long dark – episode 5 eins der besten spiele die ich je gespielt habe. mir kam der schluss etwas leicht vor, episode 4 war schwieriger, dafür war episode kreativer in der umsetzung, ein sehr guter abschluss.

enshrouded – forging the path anfangs war ich mir nicht sicher ob ich das neue biom noch spielen möchte, aber dann war ich doch zu neugierig. jetzt kam noch “forging the path” oben drauf. neuer skilltree, special attacks, balancing und viele neue feinheiten. poi an multiplayer angepasst. aus ruinen wurden orte/städte und vieles mehr. zusätzlich bin ich noch in eine neue multiplayer-runde eingestiegen. das macht immernoch viel spaß und bietet zusätzlich nochmal die möglichkeit alle neuen materialien, orte und spielmechaniker kennenzulernen.

robocop – rogue city war im angebot für 7,99 :) ansonsten ist die grafikkarte, man bekommt was man erwartet. shooter mit story, upgrades, sidequests usw. kann ich so weiterempfehlen, aber für den vollen preise hätte ich es niemals gekauft.

zum spiele kaufen: den vollen preis bezahle ich eigentlich nur gern bei early access titeln. wenn es eins im sale gibt nehm ich den mit. ist ja auch teil meines spielen-konzepts. ich spiele meist nur einen titel intensiv, manchmal noch ein zweites game nebenbei. entsprechend wähle ich gut aus was gekauft wird und oft sind die spiele dann schon 1+x jahre alt und im sale. enshrouded war einer der titel die ich sofort nach release gekauft habe. war jeden euro wert, gleiches würde ich über the lonk dark sagen. aber das gibt es mittlerweile auch regelmäßig für kleines geld.

#wiulinuslog #thelongdark #enshrouded

#Unicode #语言

引言

我从小就对于各种语言的符号感兴趣，但对于某些字符所存在的意义不太了解，因此就有了这个系列。

对于“特殊符号”的定义：这些符号的某些特征使这些符号在统一区块比较突出，包括：

• 曾经使用，现在被废弃或不经常使用的字符（如废弃或较少使用的拉丁字符）
• 冷门语言所使用的符号（如阿布哈兹语）
• 意义或用例极其特殊的符号（如阿拉伯语合字）

这个文章是这个系列的开始，亚美尼亚的特殊字符相对较少，包含两个区块：

• 亚美尼亚字母
• 字母表现形式

և

名称：ARMENIAN SMALL LIGATURE ECH YIWN

词符և是以字母եւ组成的合体字母，是亚美尼亚语的连词，意为“和”。1920年代，亚美尼亚语的拼写法改革引进此词符。^1

֍֎

名称：RIGHT-FACING ARMENIAN ETERNITY SIGN和LEFT-FACING ARMENIAN ETERNITY SIGN

该符号在亚美尼亚语中被称为“Haverzhut’yan nshan”，意为“永恒符号”；也被称为“Arevakhach”，意为“太阳十字”。它象征着永恒、天国的生命和民族认同。自公元5世纪起，该符号开始出现在亚美尼亚的石碑上；到约8世纪时，它已成为一种确立的民族图标制作传统，并沿用至今。^2

՟

名称：ARMENIAN ABBREVIATION MARK

亚美尼亚缩写符号，现已不再使用。^1

ֈ

名称：ARMENIAN SMALL LETTER YI WITH STROKE

带横线的յ，收录时间较晚（2018年），用途尚不明确。

连字

以下为收录在“字母表现形式”的连字以及其分解版本。

字符	分解后
ﬓ	մն
ﬔ	մե
ﬕ	մի
ﬖ	վն
ﬗ	մխ

To live the life you love and love the life you live

Eras don’t just pass through us- they imprint. Each timeframe creates its own opportunities for sound, and in return, sound carries the deeper imprint of its time. We each carry our subjective experiences, hence the state at a time is as much personal- as it is collective.

A recurring thread for me is continuity- the sense that life is not a series of disconnected moments, but a chain of action-reaction. I find myself looking backward, searching for the origin point of movement, the underlying source of structure. Philosophically, this resembles older arguments about a first principle or prime mover (Aquinas). Personally, it feels less like doctrine and more like orientation: a way of preserving coherence and thread in a fragmented world.

This idea of continuity also shapes how I think about the mind and the heart. The mind analyzes, structures, predicts. The heart values, selects, and commits. Both are necessary, but they do not naturally align. I’ve come to see growth not as choosing one over the other, but as first separating them clearly- observing each in its raw form- and then gradually calibrating them. In that calibration, however, the heart ultimately remains the anchor. Not as sentimentality, but as the core of valuation: what is ultimately worth serving. So the heart is to be examined. When pure and anchored, it can be (continually), calibrated with a clean brain.

“The kingdom of God is within you” ~ Jesus Christ

Many mystics and thinkers have talked about the “inner world” yet I feel- have kept a distance away from defining it fully. Perhaps it cannot be fully defined. Language can describe its edges, but not replace direct personal experience and recognition. It remains a frontier every individual must cross alone.

Alongside this runs a simple principle I’ve held for years: where there is freedom, responsibility follows; where coercion dominates, responsibility weakens. This is visible in both personal development and broader systems. Freedom does not guarantee maturity, but it creates the conditions in which maturity can emerge.

This connects back to a broader political-philosophical intuition, such as Frédéric Bastiat’s view that life itself is the primary value law should protect. Life is an abstract word, yet it contains everything concrete: experience, risk, creation, suffering, joy. Any system that loses sight of life as its grounding point eventually becomes detached from what it claims to serve.

Modern technology complicates and expands this idea of freedom. It removes constraints, multiplies tools, and accelerates expression. It also increases responsibility: what we can do now far exceeds what previous generations could even imagine. Used well, it allows for unprecedented creative and intellectual possibilities.

Ultimately, what I’m circling is not an ideology, but a simple alignment: to live freely enough to become responsible, and to live responsibly enough to remain free.

And perhaps that returns to the beginning. To live the life you love and love the life you live is not a slogan- it is a balancing point. Between mind and heart. Between freedom and responsibility.

Characteristics

It is characterised by breakbeats (typically 150–155 beats per minute) with “riddim” or neuro basslines, samples, and synthesizers.

Broken funk is a genre of electronic dance music developed from drum'n'bass and dubstep. Like drum'n'bass It uses layered drum breaks, and borrows beat structure from dubstep, main difference being the snare usually on the three.

Wer in den letzten Tagen WWE Programme geschaut hat, konnte dem kaum entkommen, dass Hulk Hogan von Netflix eine eigene Mini-Doku-Serie bekommen hat.

Netflix hatte 2024 schon die Miniserie Mr. McMahon herausgebracht, die Doku war relativ gut von Kritiken angenommen worden. Eine Serie über den vor einigen Monaten verstorbenen Hulk Hogan zu machen ist naheliegend, insbesondere, weil die Dokumentarfilmer im Frühjahr 2025 schon einige Aufnahmen mit Hogan gemacht hatten.

Hulk Hogan – politischer, als er vielleicht zugab

Der Name der Miniserie ist so unverschämt patriotisch wie passend. Angelehnt ist der Titel an den Einlaufsong von Hulk Hogan mit dem Refrain:

I am a real American Fight for the rights of every man I am a real American Fight for what's right Fight for your life

Der Wrestler behauptet in der Doku, dass er in den 1980er-Jahren nicht stark an Politik interessiert gewesen sei, aber gemerkt habe, dass “Amerika ein Comeback” gemacht habe. Dazu zeigen, die Dokumentarfilmer die Amtseinführung von Ronald Reagen und zoomen etwas zu stark auf den in den USA – meiner Meinung nach zu unrecht – ungeliebten Jimmy Carter.

Der Refrain, zusammen mit dem US-Flagge schwingenden Hogan, perfekt in die Zeit. Die USA macht ein “Comeback”, ist selbstbewusst, kämpft für das gute und lässt es sich dabei gut gehen.

Passend ist auch das Äusserung, dass sich Hogan selber als einer der Feiglinge bezeichnet, die 2016 Trump gewählt, aber nicht den Mut gehabt hätten, die rote Mütze anzuziehen. Nachdem er sich 2020 immer noch nicht traute, habe es ihm gereicht, als 2024 auf “seinen Helden” geschossen wurde.

In der Folge trat Hogan dann auf der Rebublican National Convention (RNC) auf, riss sich wie im Wrestlingring das T-Shirt vom Leib und protzte mit seinem Körper. Das Publikum flippte aus.

Trotzdem betonte Hogan seine angebliche Überparteilichkeit. Er wisse, dass seine “Hulkamaniacs” (seine Fans) immer sowohl Republikaner als auch Demokraten gewesen seien. Interessanterweise kommt aus den Reihen der ebenfalls interviewten WWE-Führungsriege, Paul “Triple H” Levesque und Bruce Prichard grosse Kritik daran, dass sich Hulk in der Öffentlichkeit politisch positioniert hat, verständlicherweise lehnen sie das vor allem aus Marketinggründen ab.

Zwei Dinge sind bei dieser RNC-Episode bemerkenswert. Zum einen lässt sich auch feststellen, dass die Politik und Wrestling immer mehr ähnlich werden. Es wird erwartet, dass man eine grosse Klappe hat, übertreibt und es wird zumindest geduldet, wenn man hin und wieder einfach lügt. Alles ist Show mittlerweile, die Inhalte – wenn sie überhaupt jemals wichtig waren – verlieren immer mehr an Bedeutung.

Das Gimmick leben

Zweitens sagt sie auch viel über Hogan selbst aus. Der Mann lebte sein Gimmik für über 40 Jahre, der Darsteller Terry Bollea und Hulk Hogan lassen sich gar nicht mehr klar trennen, er schaffte das offensichtlich selber nicht mehr. Kann man es ihm verübeln? Ganz ehrlich, mir würde wohl das gleiche passieren.

Filmemacher Werner Herzog ist ab und zu in der Doku zu sehen. Er spricht von Perfomanz. Alles was wir tun ist auch etwas Darstellung. Das hat mich stark an Foucault erinnert. Ich bin mit Foucault sicher an vielen Orten nicht einverstanden, aber dieser Punkt ist mir bei ihm immer geblieben.

Hogan Knows Best

Ich bin in den 1990er-Jahren geboren worden. Ich habe zwar nie Wrestling aktiv verfolgt, aber einige Stars wie der Undertaker oder CM Punk kannte ich über Freunde in der Sek selbstverständlich. Hulk kannte ich vor allem aus seiner Reality Serie Hogan Knows Best, die ich damals mit meinen Brüdern auf MTV gesehen habe.

In der Doku wird die Serie im Nachhinein als gelungener Versuch bezeichnet, Hulk nicht nur als cartoonmässigen Übermenschen darzustellen, sondern als normaler Vater. Als ich mir einige Ausschnitte Serie angeschaut habe, fiel mir vor allem auf, wie autoritär und sexistisch Hulk in der Serie rüberkommt.

Seine Tochter Brooke ist bei der Serie knapp volljährig und trotzdem wird sie von ihrem Vater ständig kontrolliert und jeder der Jungs mit dem sie Kontakt hat, wird von Hulk extrem kritisch beäugt, während sich der jüngere Sohnemann Nick wirklich daneben benimmt.

Die Serie nimmt in den letzten zwei Staffeln eine recht heftige Wendung. Linda und Hulk haben eine schwere Ehekrise, die Serie zeigt die beiden sogar bei der Paartherapie. Der eigentliche Scheidungsprozess ist in der Serie nicht mehr zu sehen, aber er war offenbar besonders hässlich, was auch die Doku herausstreicht.

Was bleibt?

Erschreckend sind – wie bei fast jeder Wrestling-Doku – die körperlichen Schäden dieser Form der Unterhaltung. Auch wenn die Kämpfe geskriptet sind, die Verletzungen sind echt.

Der Finisher von Hulk Hogan war ein “leg drop”. Im Prinzip springt man dabei hoch und lässt das Bein auf den Körper des Gegners fallen, sieht eindrucksvoll und für den Empfänger unangenehm aus, und eigentlich für den Ausführenden ungefährlich. Jedes Mal wenn Hogan diesen leg drop durchführte, gab es auf seiner Wirbelsäule eine Kompression. Das mag einmal nicht so schlimm sein, allerdings zählt beispielsweise Cagematch.net 2129 Matches.

In der Miniserie sind Bilder von Hulks Rücken zu sehen, unter anderem auch ein Röntgenbild der komplett ruinierten Wirbelsäule. Hulk berichtet davon, dass er in der Zeit bei TNA (2009-2013) mehrere Fentanyl-Patches brauchte, um überhaupt performen zu können. Ob das stimmt, oder wieder so eine typische Hogan-Halblüge ist, lässt sich nicht sagen. Aber offenbar hatte der damalige TNA-Chef Eric Bischoff heute noch schlechtes Gewissen, ihn einzusetzen, allerdings brauchte Hulk Hogan dringend Geld, wegen seiner Scheidung.

Es ist passend und gleichzeitig traurig, dass Hulk Hogan im Nachgang einer Operation starb.

Graham Platner and the Hunt for a better future

In the current landscape of American politics, we are often presented with a binary choice: the “squeaky clean” careerist whose past has been sanitized by high-priced PR firms, or the “strongman” who masks deep insecurities with grandstanding. Both figures exist within what I call the “Isolation Mirage” which is a carefully constructed psychological state intended to keep the working class fragmented, distrustful of one another, and ultimately dependent on a centralized authority.

My affinity for Graham Platner is about more than just a alignment of policy preferences. It is the rejection of that mirage in favor of something visceral, honest, and “Authentically Fragmented.” Platner is a 41-year-old oyster farmer and combat veteran from Blue Hill, Maine, represents the antithesis of the legacy-coded politician. Platner’s emergence is a significant moment in the lore of the “Worker-Man.”

The Warrior-Farmer: From Fallujah to Frenchman Bay

To understand Graham Platner, one must first look at the crucible of his youth. Unlike many who occupy the halls of power, Platner’s military service was not a resume-builder designed to facilitate a future leap into the private sector or the Senate.

Platner served three combat tours in Iraq and a fourth in Afghanistan. These weren’t “green zone” deployments. He lived through the Hyperarousal of the front lines in places like Ramadi and Fallujah these were urban environments and the reality of war is immediate, loud, and unforgiving. This experience is the bedrock of his disillusionment. When a man returns from the front lines only to witness the “fraudulent funneling” of taxpayer wealth into the pockets of defense contractors while his brothers-in-arms struggle for basic care, a “Deep Rot” becomes visible.

His transition from the military to the tidal flats of Maine is a masterclass in Self-Directed Agency. He traded the service rifle for an oyster farm in Frenchman Bay. Much like the move to a trans-friendly and blue state sanctuary of amusingly Maine this was a reclamation of the self. By working the water, Platner removed himself from the machine that views human beings as disposable assets. He chose the labor of the hands over the labor of the lobbyist, a move that solidified his commitment to the environment and the working class.

The Contrast: Stolen Valor and the Republican Ethics Crisis

To appreciate Platner’s raw honesty about his service and his struggles, one must look at the culture of “Stolen Valor” currently pervading his political opposition. While Platner carries the invisible scars of actual combat, several high-profile Republican figures are currently facing investigations for fabricating or inflating their military records.

Take, for instance, Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL). Currently under an ethics investigation, Mills faces multiple accusations of stolen valor. Multiple soldiers who served with him have disputed his accounts of the events leading to his Bronze Star, with some going as far as to claim he fabricated his involvement in saving lives. Even the general whose signature appears on the recommendation has stated he never signed it. Mills has further claimed to be an Army Ranger, a sniper, and a Special Forces medic and these are claims that are notably unsupported by his official Army service records.

Then there is Senator Markwayne Mullin. During his confirmation hearing for Homeland Security Secretary, Mullin was questioned about statements regarding “smelling war” and serving overseas, despite having no history of U.S. military service. He later attributed these statements to “classified training” and “misunderstandings,” a classic maneuver of the career politician caught in a lie.

Finally, we have U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX). The Army recently revoked Nehls' Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) because his service was in the civil affairs branch, which does not meet the eligibility requirement of engaging in active combat. Despite the revocation, Nehls continued to wear the badge on the House floor until public pressure from his own colleagues forced him to stop.

When we compare these men to Platner. Who bears the weight of three tours without seeking to aggrandize them for a vote well the difference in character is stark. Platner does not need to steal valor; he has survived the reality of it.

Systemic Gaslighting: Addressing the “Controversies”

Because Platner does not fit the “legacy-coded” mold of a politician, the establishment has attempted to use his digital footprint to manufacture a “Monster” narrative. This is a form of Systemic Gaslighting, intended to make the public fear a man simply because he has lived a life that wasn't pre-approved by a focus group.

Opponents have dug up Reddit archives from as far back as 2013, during the “P-Hustle” era. They point to posts where he called himself a “communist,” used ACAB (All Cops Are Bastards) rhetoric, and spoke in the crude vernacular of the “jock-dude” military subculture he was raised in. And to be honest as an never waving Communist who says ACAB unironically (the system is fucked there may be good cops but they get fired or retired disillusioned) even if he now doesn't publicly holds these views its awesome and a plus in my book. Bonus Points xD

Bluntness time: In a landscape of scripted lies, Platner’s past posts are a breath of fresh air. Calling oneself a communist or criticizing the police system is not a sign of instability. It is a sign of a man grappling with the systemic failures he witnessed first-hand. It shows a man who was already seeing the cracks in the American facade a decade ago.

The most consistent weapon used against him, however, is the “Nazi” tattoo accusations designed to trigger Chronic Shame in his supporters. Platner has a Totenkopf (Death’s Head) tattoo on his chest.

His defense is refreshingly human. He got it while drunk with fellow Marines in Croatia in 2007, entirely unaware of its historical weight as a Nazi symbol at the time. Consider the context which is a young soldier in a high-intensity environment, influenced by peers, making a stupid mistake in a foreign country. What makes Platner different from a career politician is his response. He didn't offer a “dodge” answer. He didn't claim it was a “misunderstanding” or “classified.” He owned the ignorance of his younger self, addressed the pain it caused, and covered the tattoo. It is a sign of evolution. It is the record of a man who has had to heal from the high-intensity stress of the military machine and re-learn the world on his own terms.

Ground-Up Power: The Jane McAlevey Influence

Platner’s political philosophy isn't derived from D.C. think tanks. It is rooted in the organizing principles of the late Jane McAlevey. He understands that power isn't granted by an elite “Savior”; it is built from the ground up by the people who actually do the work.

Before running for higher office, Platner served as a Harbormaster and the chair of a planning board in Maine. He started where the problems are most visible. This “ground-up” approach is essential for any true Eco-Anarchist or worker-aligned movement. He isn't interested in maintaining the “Deep Rot” of the current system. He is interested in dismantling it through collective action.

He has already held over 50 town halls, engaging directly with the people of Maine. He isn't performing for the cameras; he is attempting to be a conduit for the voice of the people. This is the difference between a “representative” and an “organizer.”

Breaking the “Seniority Trap” of Susan Collins

For decades, Maine has been held captive by the “Seniority Trap.” Senator Susan Collins uses her long-term tenure and “once-in-a-century” seniority as a cudgel to keep the state dependent. The argument is simple and deceptive. I have the power to bring money to Maine, so you cannot afford to replace me.

Platner argues, rightly, that this is a “counterfeit” security. Dependency on a single career politician is not sovereignty, it is the opposite, it is a soft form of servitude. Collins’ record of voting with Donald Trump a significant percentage of the time, while maintaining a veneer of “moderation,” has done nothing to solve the underlying crises in Maine which are housing unaffordability, the decay of rural healthcare, and the rising cost of living. After moving to Maine I can personally attest to the decay of rural healthcare.

Platner’s platform is a direct response to this decay. He fights for removing the profit motive from the basic right to live by means of Universal Healthcare. Ending the speculation that has turned Maine homes into assets for the wealthy rather than shelters for the working class.

Housing Affordability: An End to the Mass Deportation Machine. He recognizes the humanity of those who have been displaced by the same globalist policies that have harmed Maine workers.

Conclusion: The Lore-Wolf

I love Graham Platner because he is Authentically Fragmented.

He doesn’t have a squeaky-clean record because he actually lived. He lived through war, he lived through PTSD, he lived through ignorance, and he lived through growth. Career politicians like Susan Collins offer the “Safe Base” of the status quo a base that is slowly crumbling beneath our feet while Platner offers a Revolt.

He is the Lore-Wolf of Maine politics. He is hated by the “careerists” because his very existence proves that an “average worker” can reclaim the power. He proves that you don't need a legacy to lead; you only need the courage to be honest about who you are and where you’ve been.

Platner has moved from a life of being diminished by the state to a life of true Sovereignty. For those of us looking for a leader who understands the hunt, he is the only choice. He is not a polished stone; he is the uncut rock, and in the “Deep Rot” of the current political system, that is exactly what we need.

General Info

Itinerary: Martinique (Fort-de-France), Guadeloupe (Ponte-à-Pitre), Sint Maarten (Philipsburg) & Saint Martin (Marigot), Azores archipelago of Portugal (Ponta Delgada), Germany (Hamburg) | Ship: MSC Virtuosa | Dates: 4-17th of April 2026

*This post will be a bit different from other blogs, while structure will partially remain the same. ____________________________________________________________________________

🗺️ Check out our full Cruise tracking with pics as well as other trips: https://www.polarsteps.com/vlgk/24904509-cruise

🚢 Briefly about the Transatlantic Cruise

We have never been to a cruise before, but wanted to gain that kind of experience sometimes. Another thing we've been also dreaming of was to cross the Atlantic Ocean. That's why, we've been checking various transatlantic cruises for a while (giving the preference to ones, which allows us to “stay in EU”), until this year in January we saw almost 50% lower price for one of the MSC Grand Voyages we've been observing closely. This was our cue, so we booked us the 13 Nights transatlantic cruise from Martinique to Hamburg with MSC Virtuosa, which included visit of 3 Caribbean islands (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin), and Azores as well as 5 and 4 days in the ocean in between. Worth to mention that February and March we spent in researching infos and preparing for our upcoming 1st cruise :) Of course, we ended up with a bunch of expectations, which differed from the reality. And this is what I want to concentrate on in this post.

🆒 Expectations vs. Reality

• #1 The Room We expected that it will be as comfortable as a hotel room. In reality, it was even better, as it was more spacious (at least the room with a balcony, which we had). Each room had a centralized ventilation, and the temperature in the room could be also individually controlled by thermostat, and you could easily make it colder or warmer as you wish anytime. The bed was super comfortable although a bit short (looks like it was even a bit less than 2m long). People in videos were complaining about few sockets (we had 3 types: European, American and USB-A) or shelves for clothes, in reality we had enough of it all :) The room with a balcony was definitely worth additional money, and we can totally recommend it.

• #2 The Service Staff We expected that staff will be nice, and in reality it was super nice, friendly and helpful everywhere: from the room's attendant till waiters.

• #3 Ships' and Facilities' Condition As the most cruise ships are used non-stop throughout the year, we expected that the ship and all the facilities will be worn out. Although our ship was not the newest one (exploited from 2022), it was in a pretty good condition. We noticed some maintenance and renovation works her and there on the go though.

• #4 Communication Onboard We expected that there will be a chat in the cruise App, and it was exactly so: a local intranet was available for all guests, and we all could add each other's contacts and chat. Moreover, everywhere (not only in rooms) were phones available to call to any cabin by its number, that was convenient! We and some other guests also were using walkie-talkies: they were working good enough, although one had to keep them on and charged constantly.

• #5 Ship Motions and Sea Sickness Based on comments as well as absence of information about pitching in many reviews, we expected that we won't notice ship motions that much as the ship is huge and allegedly should have some special stabilization mechanisms. It turned out that even with a pretty calm ocean ship motions were noticeable especially in the evening or at night. One night the side-to-side pitching was really noticeable making it even hard for us to move around the ship straight :) So, I believe for some people it could be pretty hard and cause a sea sickness, and would recommend bringing a medicine against the sea sickness with you as well as ear plugs, because when ship is pitching the different parts are moving too and make some noise.

• #6 Time Onboard On a transatlantic cruise the time zones as well as the time itself are changing frequently. During the first 5 days in the ocean we have changed time adding +1 hour 4 days in a raw, and it was really harsh! Every day we had 1 hour less and constantly felt that we run out of time and are tired. Another thing is that with the huge variety of activities on the ship you like have a full schedule and have not enough time for everything you want :)

• #7 Health and Sickness on the Ship We expected that with a huge number of people onboard (up to 6 thousands passengers) it could be possible to get ill. At the end of the cruise we unfortunately got ill, as well as many people around, considering what we've heard in the buffet. We think it's easy to get infected especially in the buffet, where all the tableware couldn't be ideally clean. So, it's better to either bring your own mug, or rinse one from the buffet with boiling water and keep it with you all the cruise. In swimming pools and jacuzzi it's not that dangerous, as they use seawater in the former and the bleach in the latter, and renew water regularly.

• #8 Stars and The Moon We expected that we could enjoy some stars and moon gazing as there is no light pollution in the ocean, but in reality we saw just some stars in few nights and all the other time – literally nothing: no stars and no moon! So, it's pretty cloudy in the ocean.

• #9 Wildlife Around the Ship We expected to see a lot of dolphins and even whales, like they will be all the time near the ship (even adds on the ship itself were highlighting dolphins-watching as one of activities onboard). In reality, it actually happened – we saw some dolphins from our balcony, but just once, and I believe we were among few lucky people who saw them. We also saw some birds, especially closer to the shore.

• #10 The Complimentary Food We were expecting good and tasty food, which will be repeating a lot. The food onboard was really great and tasty with huge variety during the lunch and dinner. We even wished that some dishes will be repeating as they were so yummy, but it actually almost never happened unfortunately :)

• #11 The Buffet From various videos and reviews we had such an impression that there is not that much good food in the buffet, and it's rather for a quick snack. And if you want to have a good food you need to go to the Main Dining Room. In reality, the buffet was a place with a bigger variety of tasty food with same ingredients as in complimentary restaurants. One could perfectly eat only there the whole cruise and feel happy.

• #12 The Complimentary Beverages We thought that there will be limited variety of tea (like 1 coffee sort and 1-2 tea sorts) and for all the rest one have to pay. But at least on our ship we had a great variety of complimentary good-quality tea: 4-6 sorts of green and black tea with various flavors as well as herbal and decaffeinated tea.

• #13 Sweets and Ice Cream We expected a lot of pastries and cakes, as well as soft-ice at least occasionally available. In reality, we had no complimentary ice cream at all, but huge amount of fruits, various sweet desserts, as well as cakes and pastry. One day we even had a “Sweet Extravaganza”, and it was just crazy how much yummy confection we had there!

• #14 Days at Ports We thought that everyone will have kind of a dedicated time for disembarkation and return at ports, and it will be totally not enough time to see anything if you don't book an excursion. Moreover, we expected that we won't be allowed to bring any beverages from the “land” to the ship. In reality, one can leave the ship anytime as soon as it's indicated in the schedule and come back and forth as many times as one wish. People could also bring pretty anything (except the strong alcohol in glass-bottles) with them: we brought coke as well as small beer in cane once without any issues. It also was usually plenty of time to check small islands or check few great places as well as main sightseeings at the bigger ports. We felt we could make an impression of the place from our visits and sometimes even returned earlier than the indicated deadline for boarding. Of course, if you visit a port in a big city/country (such as Hamburg, for example), you won't feel like you had a sufficient visit.

• #15 Activities and Entertainment Onboard We had such an impression that there should be not that many various activities, which will be mostly passive, leisure activities like shows, listening to musicians etc., which could also be 1-2 hours long. In reality there was an incredible schedule with ca. 80-90 various activities every day, and almost each single one was having a duration of 30 minutes: sport & fitness activities, fun games, dance classes, quizes, shows, movies under the sky, bands concerts, demonstrations and tastings, promotions, workshops, lectures and many more things!

• #16 Sport Onboard We expected there will be many ways to stay active and fit, and it was exactly like that and even better. There were plenty of way to stay fit: amazing running track with a sea view, aerobics and fit dance, dance and sport classes as well as tournaments, gym with sauna, and even Tai Chi!

• #17 The Swimming Pools and Jacuzzi We heard that usually pools and jacuzzis are small and super crowd, so one can use them only during the port-days, when many people leave the ship. But in reality on our ship we had 3 swimming pools (2 outside and 1 inside) with at least 7 jacuzzis, and even an aqua park with 3 slides and a lot of watter activities. It was always possible to swim or find a sit in a jacuzzi as well as a sunbed. Even in colder days, when we expected that inside pool will be full, it was always possible to swim and chill on a sunbed. Water everywhere including aqua park was also warm and comfortable.

• #18 Shopping From various videos it looked like the shopping street is huge like a big shopping mall. In reality at our ship it was pretty compact with just few luxury shops, but it wasn't an issue for us :)

• #19 Prices Onboard We expected that like everything will be super expensive onboard, but in really it wasn't. Only alcohol and luxury goods were as usually expensive (but not more expensive than in many tourist places), the rest was pretty affordable. Things that were interesting to us were affordable: one could buy a good coffee Americano for 2,5 EUR, ice cream for 3-4 EUR, and even a coconut for 4 EUR (all prices are indicated including service fees).

• #20 Additional Expenditures Onboard We expected that it will be just totally necessary to spend some additional money on the ship to have a good cruise, but in reality one could literally pay nothing more than the price of the cabin with complimentary restaurants and drinks and totally enjoy the cruise! Although we did spend some money on small souvenirs, some treats like coffee, ice cream and coconut (less than 100 EUR for 2 people during the 2 weeks), as well as on some spa treatments (like massage), which were more out of curiosity and for fun (Did you ever had a Balinese massage in the middle of the ocean? :)), and definitely worth it. We also expected that service staff will annoyingly sell us various packages and paid products, but they haven't.

🍽️ What and where to eat

On the cruise ship there are basically 2 types of dining: complimentary and paid. All ships have their own selection of specialty paid restaurants with various cuisine, for example we had japanese sushi restaurant, stakehouse, champagne bar etc. There you have either to buy a dinner package for a fixed price, or pay for each dish and drink. They also have various promotions, like for example “all-you-can-eat” 1 hour sushi buffet for 29 EUR. We haven't been to any specialty paid restaurants, so can't tell about it here.

The complimentary dining includes few various options: – Main Dining Room (MDR) (breakfast, lunch, dinner) – Complimentary restaurants (in our case dinners only) – Buffet (Marketplace) (breakfast, lunch, dinner) – and some places/bars with snacks (breakfast sometimes, lunch, dinner).

Main Dining Room had a fixed breakfast and lunch menu, and dinner menu same as in complimentary restaurants. In MDR one could also get free watter and juice to the dishes, but in restaurants even water had to be bought. We went to a dedicated restaurant only once (4 restaurants all had the same menu and were assigned based on cabins), and were not that happy with the menu and food quality, as well as noticed that main dishes were mostly the same as in the buffet, just were served with a bit more style.

So, we found out pretty quickly that the best option for us to eat will be the buffet called “Marketplace”, because one have a greater variety of dishes with more fresh ingredients and served quicker.

The buffet also had some special dishes and menus on a daily basis, which were cooked in front of us. Sometimes there was a line, like for example when we had a Seafood festival with lobsters, scallops, oysters, muscles, shrimps and so on, but it was still quicker than to wait in the restaurant :)

As noted above, we were super happy with taste, quality, and variety of dishes in the buffet, and liked some dishes a lot as well as wished to eat them more often :) Some highlights from buffet include grilled fish, pasta, various salads (like couscous salad, rice noodle salad, surimi or shrimps salad etc.), snacks like 4 cheese pizza, fried rice (with vegetables or shrimps), baked or grilled vegetables, and of course sweets and fresh fruits (melon, mango, pineapple and watermelon). Worth to notice that as MSC is an Italian pasta all Italian dishes like pasta and pizza were yummy and cooked with quality ingredients (like De Cecco pasta etc.).

👀 What to do and what to see

During any cruise there will basically 2 types of days, which will affect your possible activities: “port-days” and “sea-days”.

“Port-days” depend on your cruise's itinerary and usually include a visit to a city/country (organized either by yourself or with an excursion bought from your cruise company) as well as some activities on the ship (like breakfast, dinner, aerobics, swimming in the pool etc.). Including Martinique, we had 4 “port-days” during our cruise, and I will cover them in separate blogs (here will follow the corresponding links ...).

“Sea-days” will be filled with a mixture of your independently self-defined activities, activities from a daily program (free and paid) as well as with breakfast/lunch/dinner of course :)

Every evening a new daily program for the upcoming day will be announced and made available in the App, on TV in your room and on the info displays around the ship. One can choose any things they like and craft a personal agenda. We had huge amount (80-90 activities during the “sea-days” and 50-60 activities during the “port-days”) of various free activities every day to choose from: – Wellness and well-being activities like Yoga, meditations, soundhealing, Tai Chi etc.

• Fitness activities like aerobics, fit dance, gentle gym, running on the upper deck, going to gym etc.
• Sport activities like football, basketball, tennis, pickleball, table football, ping-pong, waterpolo etc. as well as tournaments.

• Dance classes (Salsa, Chachacha, Bachata etc.).
• Board games, puzzles, fun games (like mini-golf, inflatable dart, mega jenga etc.) and quizes.

• Lectures and workshops (skin care, weight loss, etc.).
• Entertainments like daily shows, bands/life music, thematic parties (White party, Snow party, 60s-70s-80s party etc.), Captain's Presentation, karaoke, disco, movie under the sky etc.

• Special events and promos from shops & services like collecting a daily charm from a jewelry shop, raffle from the duty-free shop or spa-treatments testing (free massage testers, hair or skin analysis etc.), coffee & chocolate demo etc.
• Meetups and thematic activities like Bridge players get-together, or LGBTQ+ and Single-travelers meetups etc.
• Family and Kids activities.

Paid events and activities included shopping, casino and bingo, behind the scene excursions, spa treatments, Beer/Rum tastings, photoshootings, bowling, VR/4D kino, arcaden games etc.

Of course one could also choose to do various self-defined activities using ship's facilities like pools, jacuzzis, agua park, mindfull walks on the upper deck with a sea view etc. or just reading a book, checking cruise info on your TV, looking at the ocean etc. as well as spending time with family and friends playing board games, chitchatting etc.

💡 Some highlights

• You can meet great people and build bonds with them while crossing the ocean together. We've noticed that during the sea-days many people including us found their “tribe” regularly doing activities, they are interested in :)

• You can get or ask for various things for free: your cabin attendant may provide you with a bath robe and flippers (just ask politely), you can get a free bottle of water from a bar sometimes, there are also a lot of freebies from shops and services like free charms or treatment testers etc, and also you can get some prizes by participating in games and quizes.

• It's actually totally possible to spend no money on board at all and still have an amazing cruise with various complimentary products and services already included in the cabin price you paid!

• As for the cruise company's loyalty program we still don't see much advantage of it, because like real value you can get only as the highest level member, but to obtain that kind of membership you actually had to spend a looot of money (check it out here for MSC: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/msc-voyagers-club). For example, to get a “Free Internet Browse Package” you need to have a “Blue diamond” membership, which requires 25000 points: for comparison, for 13 nights cruise we got just 1000 points. So do your math.

• Did we enjoyed it: YES! Will we go one more time to a cruise: YES!

__________________________________________________

Due to lack of comments functionality, if you have any comments or question, you can contact me via trb21 [at] tutanota.com or comment under these posts: https://mastodon.social/@tracyspcy/116447716042796028 or https://lemmy.ml/post/46266694.

My first computer game

“Now, let me ask you a question.
12 × 13?
151.
No—13 × 15?
175.
No—129 × 16?
1500.
Hmm... no.”

This wasn’t an exam or anything serious. These were some math questions that a friend casually asked during a conversation.. But something about it stuck with me. I couldn't do basic math. We think we know them but struggle when forced to use them.

Basic arithmetic isn’t just for “nerds.” It’s one of those things you assume you’ll never need… until you do.

“It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.”

The void

I've always had this dream of making a video game, but I never had the resources or knowledge to do it. The closest I got was using the built-in level editor in SuperTux. When I finally got my first laptop, I had no idea what to create with it. The screen was blank just like my mind
But after being hit with math questions I couldn’t answer, I was inspired to turn that experience into a game.

Discovering Godot

I'd heard that making games can be easier with Godot, an open-source game engine that's only about 30–40 MB in size. Its scripting language, GDScript, is pretty similar to Python. Everything felt just right. Some developers will always create tools and software for bare minimum metal. Respect for them!!

I watched some YouTube tutorials and started building the game. I had to rewatch parts when I got stuck, but I kept going.

On a side note i hate Math

Building Mathshuttle

I was never held back by getting average marks in my calculus exams. I didn't need to use calculus to build this game, ha ha! What really helped was to keep going. And, to be honest, the internet.

The Reddit and Discord Godot communities were a great source of motivation for my game. I learned about the Agile methodology and how to apply it to my development phase. None other than myself became the Scrum master! However, the daily scrum was distracted by social media and procrastination.

I didn't want to make something heavy. The graphics are not complicated. There are no loud, aggressive sounds. There are already enough games that do that. I wanted something simple. Calm. Something that won't stress you out while playing.

I named it MathShuttle because it is zen space themed

On the subject of mental health disorders

“Even severe mental illness is the result of society labeling unusual behavior rather than of biochemical processes” ~ Thomas J. Scheff

Many Western countries have experienced a dramatic increase in reported rates of psychiatric diagnoses and use of psychiatric drugs.

Under the label of “mental illness”, people are deprived of life, liberty, and property, which the law ought to defend. Mental health is one of the rare branches of the medical system where treatment is involuntary, baring life-threatening physical conditions, usually court-ordered. This is mostly justified by the notion that the person in question can not tell his illness, a fact that is in fact entirely manipulative, a classic, and actually most prevalent case of gaslighting. When one's arm is broken, or one suffers from any health issue, that person seeks medical help himself. I have never in my life heard of someone being ordered medical treatment by court, even cancer patients are given free choice for chemotherapy, which is due to associated health risks. Similarly, anti-psychotics and depression medication among others, have been shown to exhibit often severe side-effects worse than the diagnosed condition. What Scheff said in practice, is that there is no such thing as mental disorders at all, it is merely society that judges certain behaviors as improper and – by force, subjugates people into treatment against their will.

In most psychiatric cases, there is no objective case for a diagnosis. When a brain scan shows no damage, a documented symptom of “schizophrenia”, that fact has no bearing on court orders or diagnosis. What actually holds weight is stigmatization and conjecture of behavior that is deemed improper. Similarly, it is never properly defined whether one is “mentally ill”, labeled so without objectively fact-based diagnoses – practically an attach on character, or a social problem – leaving the line blurred with subjected people falling under the coercive nature of social programs.

At present, insurance companies and health professionals are directly- financially profiting from the sale of pharmaceuticals with no oversight, or responsibility for maltreatment.

The issue is far too complex for the state medical system to resort to court proceedings in most cases, when the person in question is mostly- in court, pitted against an “expert” who invokes no insight other than a repetition of the psychiatrist's opinion, which rests entirely on the doctor's educational rank, not definitive objective factual analysis.

The incentive for society to manage this is clear to me, since society labels actions as wrong, it ought to provide it's own faculty in response to the accusation, not rely on the state.

May he who throws the rock at glass houses pick up that rock and build a house himself.

Involuntary intervention should require clear, demonstrable impairment of decision-making capacity and immediate risk. At present the threshold is practically baseless.

We lost tradition on a massive scale. Certain replacements are inhumane and baseless, some are better, most are without a structured long-term foundation. The take here is- the current model is a reaction, hence threading backwards to see what worked before in practice remains the rational position.

Atleast i'm going somewhere

Credits: @babydoll-4444 and @rocknrollangelsblog from Tumblr.

Rachel Reid : Heated Rivalry

Da ich nicht auf den kommerziellen Plattformen bin, hatte ich von dem Erfolg des Buches nur am Rande mitbekommen, selbiges gilt auch für die TV Serie.

Falls jemand noch nicht weiß, worum es in dem Buch geht: Es ist die Geschichte zweier Hockeyspieler, Shane Hollander und Ilya Rozanov, wie sie sich kennenlernten und später ineinander verliebt hatten.

Mit all dem Smut in der Handlung kam ich mir ein bisschen vor wie in den alten Zeiten der Slash fanfiction. Die Szenen waren gut geschrieben, zumindest soweit ich es als weiblich gelesenes Wesen beurteilen kann.

Die Autorin hat einen Prolog aus 2016 dem ersten Kapitel vorangestellt, das erste Kapitel spielt dann allerdings in der Vergangenheit, in 2008. Also nicht überrascht sein, wenn der Smut gleich auftaucht.

Es war auch interessant, wie die Autorin es gestaltet hat, dass Shane klar wurde, dass er schwul ist, und nicht bisexuell wie Ilya. Das fand ich gut dargestellt.

Man kann auch gut festmachen, wann sich die beiden ineinander verliebt haben, ohne es zu merken (Kapitel 13), spätestens als sie sich begannen, mit Vornamen anzusprechen.

Ein wenig amüsant war, wie Shanes Vater von den beiden erfährt und wie offen seine Eltern die neuen Tatsachen akzeptieren.

Wenn ihr keine Probleme habt, gay smut zu lesen, ist dies dies eine gute Version der Enemies to Lovers Trope. Für mich selbst ist es gut gemachter Smut, mit einer Handlung, die auch beleuchtet, wo die Hauptcharaktere herkommen und in der sie herausfinden, wer sie sind und wen sie lieben.

---

Translation of the review for my English speaking netpals:

As I’m not on the commercial platforms, I had only caught wind of the book’s success in passing; the same goes for the fact that they made a TV series.

In case anyone doesn’t know what the book is about: the story is about two ice hockey players, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, and how they met and later fell in love.

With all the smut in the plot, I felt a bit like I was back in the old days of slash fanfiction. The scenes were well written, at least as far as I can judge.

The author has placed a prologue from 2016 before the first chapter, though the first chapter is set in the past, in 2008. So don’t be surprised if the smut appears straight away.

It was also interesting how the author portrayed Shane realising he was gay, and not bisexual like Ilya. I thought that was well done.

You can also clearly see when the two fell in love without realising it (Chapter 13), at the latest when they started addressing each other by their first names.

It was a bit amusing how Shane’s father finds out about the two of them and how openly his parents accept the new reality.

If you’re comfortable reading gay smut, this is a good take on the ‘enemies to lovers’ trope. For me, it’s well-written smut, with a plot that also explores where the main characters come from and how they figure out who they are and who they love.

#语言 #ئۇيغۇرچە

提到维吾尔语的拉丁化，很多人想到的就是现行的方案（示例：Uyghurche），但实际上拉丁维文还有一套完全不同的方案（示例：Uyƣurqə）。

最近在Zlibrary上发现了一本特殊的维汉字典，标题使用的拉丁维文极其特殊：

Uyƣurqə–Hənzuqə luƣət

作为对比，这是旧维文和拉丁维文的版本：

ئۇيغۇرچە-خەنزۇچە لۇغەت

Uyghurche-Xenzuche lughet

根据查阅的资料，这个正字法的正式名称是“新维文”，在上世纪60年代至80年代初使用，1976年被纳入《少数民族语地名汉语拼音字母音译转写法》。在80年代末期老维文被重新使用，新维文便被废弃。

下面是拉丁维文、老维文和新维文的字母表对照：

拉丁维文	老维文	新维文
a	ا	a
b	ب	b
d	د	d
ë	ې	e
f	ف	f
g	گ	g
x	خ	h
i	ى	i
j	ج	j/zh
k	ك	k
l	ل	l
m	م	m
n	ن	n
o	و	o
p	پ	p
ch	چ	q/ch
r	ر	r
s	س	c/s
t	ت	t
u	ۇ	u
w	ۋ	v/w
sh	ش	x/sh
y	ي	y
z	ز	z
gh	غ	ƣ
h	ھ	ⱨ
q	ق	ⱪ
e	ە	ə
ö	ۆ	ɵ
ü	ۈ	ü
zh	ژ	ⱬ
ng	ڭ	ng

可以看出，新拉丁维文出现了一音多字的情况，这是因为新维文是中文拼音和突厥语族拉丁字母的混合体，《维汉词典》中提到zh、ch、sh用于汉语人名和地名，相比旧维文较混乱。另外，与旧拉丁文壮文一样，新维文有很多特殊的拉丁字符，在较老的计算机上字体支持较差（如Ƣ字符），因此新维文之后便被更标准的旧维文和拉丁维文取代。