Howdy !!!
How is everyone? I hope you are all well and had pizza recently, we love pizza !
Today I’m on the search for friends! Cool people, weird people, every type of people !! And I would love it if you would be interested in joining a group of other amazing people who love pizza !
So I guess your all wondering who I am well I am wraith! Please to meet you ! I am Bachelor of Arts of student who is studying History, psychology and Anthropology. I’m a huge nerd, my favourite fandoms are Warhammer, Star Wars, Lord Of the Rings, and the Soulsborne series. I have two tattoos and I’m getting my third soon ! Massive fan of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul I have a cute dog named Cooper! Oh and I’m from the beautiful Emerald Isle known as Ireland, great place, great drink, fun place to visit !! Well thank you for reading, I hope to hear from someone soon !!

I've noticed a lot of people wondering if they should invest in a bootcamp, so I wanted to share some alternatives to consider before committing to a pricey bootcamp. Here's my suggestion list:

Free non-profit bootcamps: You might be surprised to learn that there are many free non-profit bootcamps available, possibly even in your local area. They may not advertise as much as other bootcamps, but they're worth looking into. Some examples include Generation USA, PerScholas, LaunchCode...You can often google it.
Training companies: I recommend checking out Wiley Edge and Dev10. Wiley Edge pays you for training and has no contract so you can leave at any time. Dev10 focuses on in-demand skills like React and Java, and lets you choose a preferred work location. However, I don't recommend Revature because you'll be committed to a two-year contract and need to relocate without knowing the specific technology stack you'll be trained on and working with.
Online CS programs: Western Governors University and Thomas Edison State University are two good options. Both of these universities are regionally accredited and non-profit. WGU has a unique approach, offering six-month terms at around $3,600 and you can take as many courses as you want. If you're really focused and dedicated, you could potentially complete your degree in just two terms. TESU, on the other hand, allows you to get most of your coursework done through ACE platforms like Study.com and Sophia.com, which means you could finish your degree in just 1 to 2 years. Even better, if you're eligible for the Pell Grant, you could essentially receive free education at these universities. Also, you can apply for internships while studying at either of these universities.
Free or low-cost programs: If you're looking to save money and have free time, combining the Odin Project with Full Stack Open can help you become a full-stack programmer for free. Launch School is another good option, costing $200 per month if you prefer some structure and interaction with others.

In my opinion, if you've tried these options and still feel like a bootcamp is the way to go, then go for it! With the experience you've gained, you can now confidently join a bootcamp without feeling lost or overwhelmed.

I find it pretty hard to disagree with the sparks of AGI paper.
It seems superhuman compared to at least the average person in every micro task it does, provided you can actually input the information.
In fact in the coding or writing of short pieces, it exceeds most human performance, certainly at least in speed, if not also quality.
The main issue seems to be the inputting of the right information into the thread so it can output something that answers the right question correctly.
To that end we have the token length issue: That it can only compute on a few thousand words input to it, and can only output a few thousand in one response, whereas on any information not included in that, it’s knowledge can be hazy, incorrect, hallucinated, etc.
But let’s think about that.
1)
The tokens are limited because these LLM models have compute that scales superlinearly with the number of tokens: for 10x more tokens, it takes more than 10x longer, often 100x longer
(Note: New papers have architectures whose compute scales subquadratically with token length, but it’s still superlinear.)
But is this an issue with the architecture?
As with all cognitive systems, compute is finite, and computing on more information scales superlinearly.
Because intelligence involves comparing information it’s naturally superlinear.
Vaguely, you have to combine all the information in a field pairwise, or in every combination of 3s or 4s. You have to walk thru decision trees of ifs on every possibility. The complexity of a game evolves superlinearly, perhaps even parabolically or exponentially in the number of players, parts, or rules.
2)
So it can’t think about everything all at once.
As it’s currently set up, it needs us to input a coding library’s docs into the thread to get it to use it. But, I too need to reread a library, or a reminder of the rules of chess, or whatever, to be able to make something with it.
When people code with it and continue to remind it of the current goal, recently completed goals, the file system, and what character it should play, and it continuously works with that info to keep contributing to the project, those are feedbacks that are altogether parts of an intelligent system.
What about when we ask it to output a 5 letter word that’s the opposite of start and it outputs “end” or “finish”, and we have to say, hey that’s not 5 letters, until it finally outputs “pause”?
The sparks of agi paper basically makes this clear. We would do the same thing, internally. We’d fleetingly think of these other words and fleetingly ask ourselves, okay that’s not 5 letters, that’s not 5 letters, until we thought of one that is.
—— Putting these 2 perspectives together…
It’s precisely because the thinking scales superlinearly with the number of parts in the thought, that any cognitive system has to summarize fields, encapsulate them into small sets of symbolic information, and then think on a small set of information.
Cognition, ie efficient computation on the world, is therefore made of loops of intelligent systems onto themselves: summarizing a set of information, and then using the summary… encapsulation of one thinking modules output as a part into the next run of the thinking system.
—— Are we so different?
Our minds are also a general pattern machine with some general and vague knowledge.
We need to re study the specifics of any field or library or issue in order to effectively think about anything.
Our thinking modules need feedback too.
But, we can provide that feedback to ourselves within our mind…. or in conjunction with external information like speaking, writing, external resources, and other people.
We output something and then summarize it, combine it with other short form information, and think on it anew.
When we think about something for a long time, we keep re running it thru our cognition. From new angles, with new pieces of information appended, new emotional biases in each moment. Re running it, saving any conclusions and then doing new comparisons of those conclusions etc..
We just have more of an exponential time decay on recent tokens, with an efficient iterative summarization system that turns recent experience into a shorter summary, and then inputs those back into the thinking machine, with new goals appended to it.
——- So I’m proposing that we have everything we need to create a decent AGI:
Imo it’s not what gpt4 can output in one output that should be the judge of the algorithms intelligent potential, but rather the full integration of it with access to external information, including information that it creates, as we have. The ability to write, to save information, allows a cognitive system to iterate using its own outputs as new inputs.
Especially when this information, like the notes we learn to take, and the summaries we create in our minds, are designed to be used as our own inputs in the future.
I imagine GPT4 could learn to do that, if it got the chance to observe GPT4 outputs and learn to create good inputs.
Basically you just need to hack together these feedback loops and you’d have a more complete intelligence
More ideally, what you probably want is some amount of learning/optimization around telling it to summarize information in such a way that this output can be used as an input to a new thread.
You want these threads to be connected continuously, differentiably, reusing its own main system as it iteratively compares its summaries to other summaries it’s created and external information and then reruns it.
—— In conclusion..
Anyway I think other people are figuring this out and my point is imo we are super close to closing the gaps that seem to still exist with gpt4

⁃ I had to view myself as a victim for the first time and accept reality over potential and hope in those who hurt me (giving up on my family in order to get back to caring about and loving myself)

accepting that as traumatizing as being reminded of abuse/regaining my lost memories I now had all the answers as to what was holding me back and viewing this as the solution or way forward after feeling lost for so long
until February 2022 I had had no memory of my being raised regularly being called a "dumb", "stupid", "idiot", and "retard". I had to prove to myself that this was not true, that I had never believed this to be true, and show the university that I deserved to be given another chance.
going back to school (completing 3 classes with the highest grades I'd ever achieved despite that not counting on my transcript) with the mindset that giving up wasn't an option and that I was doing it for myself with nothing to prove to anyone else.

⁃ I had to grieve the past and the people I cared about in a one-sided mannetried to fix and accept that I need fixing

finally found meaning in my doctor telling me when I was 18 never to move back home with my parents and "how can you expect to help others if you don't help yourself?"

⁃ I had to tap into anger for the first time (phrases like "you can't heal what you don't feel" and "anger is armour" helped me) in order to stop suppressing/repressing emotions and retreating into sadness and depression
⁃ forcing myself to meet new people, socialize, rebuild older friendships and not isolate even if it felt comfortable and safe to
⁃ self-administered EMDR, weekly support group (since spring 2022) and weekly therapy (since September 2022)
⁃ CBD drops
⁃ writing (including poetry when at my lowest) and finding patterns between things
⁃ accepting that healing isn't linear but not allowing myself to feel defeated by that fact
⁃ seeking out and accepting help, usually through a listening ear from people I learned to trust more/again as I allowed myself to be vulnerable, which in turn and through healthy boundaries helped me strengthen my independence
⁃ stoicism and the Youtube channel: The Master Key Society

building back my ability to focus by forcing myself to enjoy reading again
only time helped my memory and learning retention return and only time reduced my rumination and existential crises (finding power in releasing my desire for control over this)

⁃ podcasts: Modern Wisdom, The Mindset Mentor, The Art of Manliness, The Adult Chair, Philosophize This, The INFJ Life Coach
⁃ working with older adults and children again in a meaningful and mutually rewarding way where I felt like I was helping my community
⁃ trying to compare myself to the me of yesterday and no one else

decluttering my environment as a way to declutter and free my mind

⁃ embracing opportunities for wisdom, beauty and learning each day
⁃ shedding guilt, regret, embarassment, my feeling like a burden, shame, self-limiting beliefs and instead focusing on mindfulness, gratitude, and breaking down short and long-term goals (starting small and building up so as not to get overwhelmed feeling that they are unachievable)
⁃ not allowing myself to be afraid of other people and the world even though my outlook on the world had been turned upside down
⁃ supplements: vitamin d, magnesium bisglycinate, zinc, omega 3 (high DHA), and vitamin b12
⁃ photography, nature, yoga, Zumba and watercolour painting and more hobbies
⁃ at the start of my healing journey, the Youtube Channels: Mental Healness and Live Abuse Free but developing self-awareness to where Quora and learning about narcissist abuse was causing me more harm than good (i.e. distancing myself from it as time went by and I was ruminating less and less)
⁃ diving into learning about trauma bonds, betrayal trauma, cognitive dissonance, childhood emotional neglect, perfectionism, codependency, individuation, family scapegoat abuse (scapegoatrecovery.com), procrastination and recognizing the ways in which I used to gaslight myself and self-sabotage
⁃ opposite action dbt skill (mainly for getting out of bed)

the website Focusmate

⁃ psychoanalyzing myself from every choice/decision and social interaction that I had until my doctor told me that I might have a problematic level of self-awareness and developing personal boundaries with this approach
⁃ the Daylio app and habit formation
⁃ finding hope in how I was the scapegoat and black sheep of the family for how I can end intergenerational trauma
⁃ eating a higher protein diet
⁃ learning to live by having empathy for my future self instead of feeling stuck feeling sad for my past self and by knowing that the future is yet to be written
⁃ learning to trust myself again and living by "Faith is where you let go, not where you hold on" - Alan Watts
⁃ focusing on my strengths, what makes me unique and striving to find purpose and self-esteem outside of my relationship to others/what value I provided to people because I know that I have inherent value

accepting the ways in which I am privileged rather than self-sabotaging due to not wanting to feel like a burden/be independent

⁃ accepting the ways in which I will never be the person that I was before my PTSD diagnosis/trauma revelations but also rebuilding my sense of self by looking to my interests/outlook on the world from childhood and the ways in which I was able to show up as my authentic self in healthy relationships
⁃ viewing myself as worthy of happiness and contentment not condemned to a life of punishment and abuse

realizing that the only reason that I am still living in this country, having had a dream since childhood to move to Europe is to finish my degree where I started it
finding hope in my future again and feeling capable of creating a life that I like and that is in my own hands

Hi everyone! I work for a new nonprofit called Vanguard Voices which focuses on bringing psychological safety to the top of workplace agendas and providing a safe, non-toxic work environment for employees. We are focused on starting a movement based around this concept and are looking for stories to share about experiences employees had at their workplace where they were treated badly, their feelings weren't considered, were toxic, etc. All stories can be anonymous if requested. If you would like to share your story, please fill out the link below!
Vanguard Voices - Story Submission (google.com)

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Journal of Camille Lambert - April 14th (Part 3)

The inside of Calhoun’s home was no less of an eyesore than the outside. The walls were stone and decorated with ornate carvings. They would have been beautiful if they made any sense. Curves seemed to go nowhere and branch off into even more bizarre curves. Light shone in through windows despite the fact that outside, it was pitch black.

Every footstep echoed off the stone floor. There were columns and stairways that rose up to the ceiling but never seemed to go anywhere and every time I looked away, something was always different.
“What the fuck is this place?” Nina murmured, looking around and failing to make sense of everything just as I was.

Gretchen studied the walls, slowly walking further into the entrance hall.
“Incredible,” She said. “I suppose I really shouldn’t have expected anything less, but I must admit this is impressive!”
She looked back at us.
“It’s like the mists that surround the towns! Although, this is a little more tangible. He’s done the same thing with this architecture. Navigating this place should be… interesting…”

She took out her notebook and began scribbling in it, walking absentmindedly forward.
“Okay, so anybody know what the fuck she’s talking about?” Nina asked, looking at me, then at Dom. We both just shrugged.
“Exactly how long have we got before people start following us in here?” Nina asked, looking back at the door as we followed Gretchen. “That rune you drew, how long will it hold?”

“So long as the door remains functional,” She replied. “I used a modified Abyssal Rune. Opening that door in either direction leads into the Abyss. Or I suppose you might better know it as ‘Hell’. Either way, I can’t imagine that Hell is somewhere that the Rosen Prince wishes to go. He can claim all the Demons he wants but they’re not going to be of much use to him. They just get eaten by the God of that realm anyways and He stands no chance of corrupting Her.”

Nina paused, looking back at the door.
“Oh. So you just casually turned that door into a portal to Hell?” She asked.
“Before you ask, no. Opening a portal to Hell was not a better option than summoning the Rosen Prince,” Gretchen replied. “It could have taken hours for a Demon to wander through and really, Demons aren’t going to do much against the Nightwalkers. They’re nowhere near as resilient,”

Nina thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.
“Fair enough. They do go down pretty easily.”
Dom and I exchanged a glance and quietly accepted that we had no idea what the heck either of them were talking about, and that it was probably better if we never found out. Gretchen paused as she continued into the house, looking up and to the side. It took the rest of us a few moments to see exactly what she was seeing.

A new hallway had appeared in the wall beside her, this one looking more like a worn down cavern, overgrown with moss. In fact, if it weren’t for the pillars and shifting carvings on the walls, it would have been easy to see it as a natural cave.
“Intriguing,” Gretchen said. “It seems as if we’ve received an invitation.”
She turned to go down the new hall only to be stopped by Dom.
“Wait, how do you know that’s safe?” He asked, “Look at all that moss, what if it’s…”
“This is not the Rosen Prince,” Gretchen assured us. “No, this is something else…”

She pulled away from him and started down the hall. Nina watched her for a moment before following her, and I figured if they trusted it, I might as well trust it. I looked back to make sure that Dom was following me and saw him sigh in resignation before joining us. I reached out for him to take my hand, and laced my fingers with his as we walked through the hall. Ahead, I could see the hall growing longer. Vines slithered along the walls like serpents and beckoned us deeper.

I’m not sure how long we walked. Not long, only a few minutes. But it felt so much longer and when we finally came to the room at the end of the hall, I wasn’t sure what would be waiting for us there.

The room seemed more like part of a forest than part of a house. Thick moss and vines grew along the stone walls, and massive tree roots tangled down from the far wall to the floor, overgrown and entangled.
“Love what he’s done with the place. It’s very ‘ancient ruin’.” Nina said under her breath.
“You look upon the carcass of something far greater than you could dare to dream,” A low voice replied, making the entire room tremble.

All eyes were drawn to the tangle of roots on the far wall, and I noticed two sunken eyes staring at us from them. The roots shifted, with something ensnared in them leaning forward. At a glance, it was hard to tell the difference between it and the rest of the roots. It seemed to be made of the same wood, although this was clearly something else. Something alive.

Maybe once upon a time, this thing had been shaped like a person although now there was little that detached from the wall aside from the head and part of the torso. The roots hung off of its face like a beard, and in its hollow eye sockets, I saw no eyes. Only deep pits in the wood that still seemed to watch us.
Nina took a step back, raising her gun but not daring to fire just yet. Gretchen on the other hand remained perfectly still.

“A strange lot you are… a vampire and three mortals. Not the salvation I had hoped may come… but better than none.”
“Salvation?” Gretchen asked, “You were the one who called us to this room?”
“I am the Eldest of my kin,” The creature said, “Those of the forest who christen themselves Old Fae walk within my footsteps. How it would pain them to see me now… reduced to this.”

The Eldest… this was the thing that Calhoun had used to form this place. I’d expected it to be more than this although the more I looked at the thing tangled in the roots, the more I understood. He was as much Calhoun’s prisoner as we were.
“Noble Eldest, I lament your fate,” Gretchen said. “Though I am but a humble child of Shaal, it pains me to see one of your kind treated with such disrespect.”

“Then thank your God, that you know not the pain of my being,” The Eldest said. “Once… I had thought myself above this. Once, I was proud… free… no longer.”
“Noble Eldest, tell me how?” Gretchen asked.
“A man sought me in the forest once… a man who believed as many do that fortune was owed to him by fate,” The Eldest said, “He purchased such fortune from me, as many did before him, trading kind memories and pieces of his past for wealth and prosperity. And like many before him, it brought him no peace. He sought power over men… a pittance, really. And yet it meant so much to him. He corrupted this place… this town… Parsons. Claiming it as his through lies, extortion and trickery. Becoming its leader and yet it did not sate his hunger… no. He sought higher status in the offices of man. His hollow title, ‘Governor’. He sought that. And when he failed and the loss of the power he had gained was threatened, he could not accept it. Unwilling to let go, he came to me once more. He offered up his own flesh… his own eye, in exchange for one last gift. To claim this town as his in perpetuity. As per our contract, I granted him his wish. I permitted him to live out his fairy tale in this place… knowing it would not sate him, but not suspecting the lengths of treachery he would go to. I know not how he came across my heart. I had thought it hidden well… but he claimed it as his own and with it, he has claimed me. Enthralling me as he has so many others… as he will continue to enthrall others…”

“Noble Eldest… I mourn your fate,” Gretchen said. “One such as you should not have been enshackled by one with so little honor.”
“Mourn me not. My fate was written in stone in ages past, when first I chose this path. Alas… my servitude has granted me new clarity. And now I wish only for silence and peace.”
“That, we can grant you,” Gretchen said. “You need only tell us where to find your heart.”
“In the chest of the traitor,” The Eldest replied, “He needed his own so little, that mine would suffice. His life and mine are one, now. My power… his power. Kill him and release me in turn.”
“And where exactly do we find him?” Nina asked, looking up at The Eldest.

The roots began to move, some of them pulling aside to reveal a door behind them.
“The Wretch has had me open several doors for him. He moved through this one, only a short time ago… no doubt to summon more thralls to this place, and complete his vile contract with the Lugal… curse the day I ever heard his name. 5000 souls in exchange for the power to drive off those who would stand against him. A mindless request, made by a mindless man. He did not heed my warnings that there was no salvation with the Lugal. Those who have died, go neither to Heaven nor Hell but someplace far worse. His Court, corrupted into the same wandering beasts who slip through the veil. Nightwalkers… Grovewalkers… whatever name you choose.”

My stomach churned uneasily. The memory of my mother's corpse flashed through my mind.
“Can we save them?” I asked, feeling guilty for speaking out of turn, but I had to know.
“Perhaps… should Calhoun die before the bargain is completed, then they will be forfeit. Free to move on to a kinder afterlife. The souls I claimed for him, h keeps bound around his neck. Shatter that charm, and you may yet save the dead. But hurry. The clock ticks down.”

“Then we need to move our asses,” Nina said, heading for the door. Gretchen gave the Eldest a respectful bow.
“Thank you for everything, Noble Eldest. You have our gratitude,”
“Go, then. End his tyranny and my despair,” The Eldest replied.
Nina opened the door and gestured for us to join her.
“Come on,” She said.
Dom and I moved through behind her, with Gretchen following moments later.

The light on the other side of the door was almost blinding, after being inside Calhoun’s house. I raised a hand to shield my eyes from it.
“Where are we now?” Dom asked, looking around.
I saw Nina staring down at her phone.
“Well, we’re not in the pocket, I’m getting a signal,” She said.

I looked around. We’d just come out of a small, run down office building in what looked like a small, run down town. Most of the buildings I saw seemed abandoned, save for a few small stores.

A clock tower chimed, and I looked over in its direction. It looked to be part of some old church just across the street although it looked like it’d fallen mostly into disrepair.
“Welcome to Smokey Falls, Alabama,” Nina said, still looking at her phone. “Well, least we know where we are.”
“Yeah, but where’s Calhoun?” Dom asked.
“Logically, somewhere close,” Gretchen replied. “The spell he’d need to cast to pull this place into his pocket reality would be fairly complex, one would need absolute privacy and time to set it up… you would need to draw a ritual circle around the entire town. That alone could take days at minimum to do discreetly. After that, you would need a good central vantage point. Somewhere high, I might think…”

My eyes wandered back to the clock tower atop the old church.
“Somewhere like that?” I asked.
Gretchen looked up at it.
“That would be where I’d go,” She said before starting toward it. “Let’s have a look.”
Dom and I took off behind her, and Nina trailed behind, still tapping away at her phone.
“Not sure what good the FRB will do us right now, but at least they should know we’re still alive,” She said when she noticed me staring.

Gretchen reached the church first and tried the door. It swung open easily.
“Unlocked,” She noted. “Promising.” She pushed inside and looked around.
The church was more or less empty. Natural light shone in through the tall windows along the side walls, illuminating the drab violet carpet. White pillars stretched up toward the sky blue concave ceiling, decorated with simple geometric patterns and gold trim. This place had a certain beauty to it that was hard to deny. The pews were long gone, leaving the space feeling open and empty. At the far end of the church, past the altar lay a crucifix broken upon the ground. Pieces of garbage and stray furniture littered the ground.
Gretchen admired the church for a few moments, before noticing a door off to the side as we entered the chapel.
“Here…” She said quietly, before going through the door and up the stairs inside.

The stairs led to a balcony looking out over the chapel, and on that balcony, I could see another door leading up to the clock tower. We followed Gretchen up there too. Above us, I could hear footsteps and movement.

We weren’t alone.

Whoever was up there seemed to pause, recognizing that his solitude had been disrupted, and then I heard his voice.
“Well, well… I guess there’s nothing that slows you guys down, is there?”

Nina gripped her shotgun tighter and moved to continue up the stairs but Gretchen stopped her.
“Attribution spell,” She warned.
Nina and her locked eyes for a moment before Nina gave a slow nod and let Gretchen go first.
“Come on up,” Calhoun said. “You’ve all come so far, it’d be a waste not to speak with you.”

We ascended the stairs, joining Calhoun in the little room atop the clock tower. He stood with his hands raised beside the collection of large gears housed in a metal frame that made the clock run. A turret clock, I believed it was called. Behind him, I could see a ritual circle drawn in chalk with an incense burner set in the center of it. He had set it close to the glass clock face so that he could look out on Smokey Falls as he dragged them into his world.

Calhoun wore a sheepish, almost gentle smile as we joined him, his one good eye shifting to each of us in turn. I noticed a small wooden pendant around his neck. It had the erratic patterns of a piece of burl wood, and the sight of it sent a chill through me.
That must have been what The Eldest was talking about. 4000 souls… all bound in there.
“So… here we all are,” He said. “Exactly where we mean to be. I’ve got to say, I admire your persistence even if it is wasted,”

“Tough talk for the man at the end of his rope,” Nina said.
“An animal is at its most dangerous when backed into a corner,” Calhoun replied. “Not to imply you’ve pushed me to that extent, of course. While you have caused me a number of problems, all you’ve done is challenge me to grow and adapt. Honestly, you have my gratitude for that. I may even miss you after you’re dead.”

While Nina kept him talking, I noticed Gretchen rounding the turret clock, studying his ritual circle.
“A modification of the spell required to enter the Midnight Grove,” She noted. “Simple… but I can’t imagine the range is very good,”
“I planted the seeds to make Smokey Falls mine long ago,” Calhoun replied. “This place was an ideal candidate to join my Sovereign Nation. They’re a religious lot… almost blindly so. You should have seen the level of devotion they showed the Pastor who was running things before me… that’s what they call me here, Pastor Calhoun. Really, the title makes no difference to me. So long as they recognize my authority. Given a few more years, I could have had incredible success here, once they came to fully trust me and see me as one of their own. They would have come to my world with open arms, singing my praises. It’s a shame I’m going to have to sacrifice so many of them… but we do what we have to.”

“You’ve got the choice not to,” I said, looking Calhoun dead in the eye. “We offered you a peaceful way out before. You can still take it. You have that choice.”
“So did you,” Calhoun replied. “I recognize that you may not comprehend the inherent value of my work and that is your choice. But it does not change the fact that before you came and forced my hand I was in the business of saving people! This world here? It’s fundamentally broken! It’s so painfully divided, pulling itself in a million different directions! You haven’t seen it yet… but stay here long enough and you will. I wanted to bring people into a world where there was no discourse. Where there was only order and peace! Was my vision flawless? No. Building a nation takes time and it takes work! It took me decades to even get Parsons into a state where I could even be remotely proud of it, and it would have taken me decades longer to get the other towns in line! But, given time I could have perfected them! Given time, I will perfect them… once I’ve completed my bargain, I will repopulate them and rebuild them better than before!”
“Buddy, I’ve met a lot of assholes in my time but you might easily be the craziest…” Nina said.

Gretchen quietly stalked closer to Calhoun’s ritual circle, and he looked over at her, pulling a polished wooden dagger from his suit jacket.
“Stop…” he warned, glaring intently at her. “I have come so far and you will not take that from me!”

He moved suddenly, slashing at Gretchen as she drew closer to his ritual circle. His dagger grazed her cheek, leaving a thin red cut along it. She took a step backward as an identical cut appeared on his cheek. Calhoun paused, pressing a hand to his new injury as Gretchen cracked a knowing smile.
“Do you know what happens when two witches, each with an attribution spell fight?” Gretchen, “The spell affects them both. Each wound you inflict on me… comes to you in turn.”
“Then I’ll kill you another way,” Calhoun growled, taking a step back and pressing two fingers to his temple.

A red eye sigil flashed on his forehead, and the room seemed to grow darker around us. I heard an animalistic hiss in the instant before I noticed another glowing eye sigil appearing in the dark shadows of the roof overhead, followed by two glowing red eyes.

Nina didn’t wait for the new Nightwalker to reveal itself, she just started shooting.

The sparks from her shotgun illuminated the creature and set it alight, but did nothing to stop it from coming down on her. The ground beneath Nina moved, taking Dom with it and pulling them out of harm's way as the Nightwalker pounced. It landed on the ground in a heap, before looking around for its prey. Like most of the others, it too looked as if it had been human once, although its body was twisted far past whatever humanity it may have had. Its arms resembled leathery wings and its mouth opened into a familiar maw of needle like teeth.

Calhoun ran to his ritual circle, as the new Nightwalker lunged for Gretchen next, pinning her up against the wall as it tried to sink its teeth into her skull. Dom and Nina ran to grab it from behind, trying to wrestle it off of her as Gretchen drove her dagger into its stomach, tearing at its flesh to no avail. While they were busy with the Nightwalker, I focused on Calhoun.

I saw him wiping the blood from his cheek and letting it fall into the incense burner before hastily lighting it. As he got the incense to burn, I grabbed him from behind, trying to drag him away from the ritual.
“NO!” He snarled, slapping me away and sending me to the ground. “You won’t stop this!”

I just scrambled back to my feet and launched myself at him, tacking him against the clock face. I felt it crack under our weight. I grabbed at the pendant around his neck only for Calhoun to throw me off of him. Beside us on the other side of the clock tower, Nina’s shotgun went off and the Nightwalker pulled away, crashing through the face of the clock behind him as it took to the air.

Calhoun spun to watch as it departed with wide eyes, in the moment before he noticed that the glass from the broken clock tower hadn’t fallen. It remained floating, and the jagged edges were now pointing toward him. He looked over at Gretchen through the turret clock, who only cracked a knowing smile before flickering her wrist and sending the shards toward him. I dove out of the way and watched Calhoun do the same.

The glass pieces crashed against the clock face on the other side of the tower, and Gretchen seized the moment to come for Calhoun, warping the ground beneath her to bring her closer to him.
“I’ve been doing this far longer than you have!” She hissed, catching him by the throat as he tried to stand. “You think an attribution spell will protect you? It won’t!”

In one deft motion, she hurled him through the glass and onto the roof of the church. Calhoun skidded down the curve of the roof before grabbing onto one of the tiles and trying to pull himself up.

Gretchen stared out at him, before noticing the mist sweeping in to devour Smokey Falls. Calhoun saw it too, and I noticed a small smile crossing his lips.
“And you think your experience will protect you?” He asked.

An ear piercing shriek filled the air and Gretchen turned just in time to see the Bat Nightwalker swoop in through the other broken clock face. It hit her head on, sending her out onto the roof as well. I watched as pieces of the roof broke apart, forming into a flatter surface for him to stand on, while leaving the section of roof Gretchen had landed on uneven.

“The incense…” She yelled to us, “Add new blood to it!”
I looked over at Calhoun’s ritual circle before running to it, although I heard the scream of the Nightwalker again as soon as I reached it and saw it circling back toward the clock tower.
“Where’s that goddamn revolver when you need it…” Nina growled, running to the broken clock face and firing at the oncoming Nightwalker. I’m not really sure why she bothered. It did nothing.

The Nightwalker crashed back into the clock tower. Dom dove out of its way and leaped out of the other side of the tower, onto the roof as the Nightwalker crashed into the frame of the turret clock, thrashing violently as it tried to claw at us. I dove out of the way, before noticing that it was going for Nina first. She fired at it, retreating hastily before realizing that the only place she could go was out onto the roof, and she fired one more blast into its face before leaping out to join Dom.

I think she’d hoped that the Nightwalker would follow her, although it seemed to already know her game. As soon as she was out of the clocktower, its attention focused on me. With a defiant cry, it ran for me, and I had nowhere left to go but back down the stairs where I’d first come up.

I sprinted down the first flight, before looking back up to see if I was being followed. The Bat Nightwalker tried to wedge its body down the stairs, shrieking and clawing at me all the while. I raised my gun and fired a few bullets at it to keep its attention and saw its red eyes narrow as they fixated on me.

“Come on!” I cried, “Come get me!”
The Nightwalker jerked its body around, twisting it to try and get down the stairs… and I could see it coming.

I kept on running, going down another flight of stairs as I heard it coming after me. Wood splintered and stone shifted as it made its pursuit. At the bottom of the last flight of stairs, I came out onto the church balcony again.

Above me, I could see the concave roof buckling and saw a section of it collapse outright. As it fell, I had just a split second where I could see Calhoun clinging to life on it.
The section of the roof hit the ground hard, kicking up dust as it did. Another section of the roof began to warp and collapse as well. This one curled inward, and I could see Gretchen on top of it, making a more controlled descent. At the top of her section of roof, I saw Nina and Dom looking down at her.

“ENOUGH OF THIS!” Calhoun roared, stumbling away from the ruined section of roof he’d come down on. I could see blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. “I will not let you jeopardize my creation!”

He gripped his dagger and ran for Gretchen, meeting her on the sloped section of roof she was descending on. I saw her raise her dagger to parry his, as they fought upon the floor of the church.

I could see Dom sliding down Gretchen’s slope, with Nina right behind him. They kept away from the fight, but something told me that they were there with a purpose. Dom took off toward the balcony, presumably to try and make it back up to the clock tower, while Nina remained close to Gretchen, watching the fight with her shotgun at the ready. I saw her look down at one of the damaged pieces of furniture lying on the ground. What might have once been part of a pew. She took aim at it and fired twice, setting it alight.

As soon as Gretchen saw the flame, she claimed it for herself, pulling away from Calhoun and holding her dagger at the ready as the fire abandoned the burning piece of pew and collected in her hand.
“You’ll have no say in the matter,” She said, giving Nina a knowing look. Nina nodded at her, before making her move, coming at Calhoun from the side with the butt of her rifle. He turned just in time to catch her, teeth gritted in rage.

“You’ll need more than that!” He spat, before realizing that all Nina had done was take his attention off of Gretchen.
The ground beneath them moved, turning like the gears of a clock, shifting so that Gretchen was right behind Calhoun. I saw the fire leave her hand, washing over Calhoun’s back… and burning his neck. Nina pulled back, leaving Calhoun to take the brunt of the inferno.

I remembered the attribution spell carved into the back of Gretchen’s neck… she had said all of her sisters had carved it into the backs of their necks.

I knew that Calhoun had carved it there too.

And now, it was burning away for both of them.

He screamed, as did Gretchen, whose knees gave out as soon as her spell was cast. Calhoun howled in pain,
“What did you do?” Calhoun wailed, “What did you do to us?”
Gretchen didn’t respond, she just panted weakly before collapsing.

I saw Dom coming up the stairs beside me. He paused to look down at Calhoun as he writhed on the ground below us, I saw Nina staring knowingly down at him, the shotgun sitting comfortably in her hands.
“This is for wasting my Friday,” She said as she took aim at his head. Calhoun looked at her, and I waited for the burst of fire that would end his life.

Suddenly from above us came an explosion of plaster and broken wood. I looked up to see the Bat Nightwalker tearing its way through the wall above us. Nina paused, looking up at it before pulling the trigger on Calhoun but he’d bought himself just enough time to save his own life.

He grabbed her by the midsection, tackling her to the ground. Nina’s shotgun fired into the air, hitting nothing. I saw him trying to grab her by the throat, only to get clawed at and bitten for his trouble. Nina kicked him off of her, and Calhoun wasted no time in running while the Bat Nightwalker leaped down from the hole it had just put in the wall above us to go after Nina.
“Oh FUCK OFF!” She growled, firing at it as it came for her.

Calhoun stumbled away, looking up at the sloped section of roof that Gretchen had brought down. He pressed a hand to the back of his neck, teeth gritted in pain before pressing a hand to the collapsed section of the roof. I watched as it twisted and reformed into a stairway, and with his way back up secured, Calhoun started to climb.

“The ritual…” I said, turning back toward the stairs to the clock tower. “We still need to disrupt it!”
“What about them?” Dom asked, looking back at Nina as she did everything in her power to avoid the Nightwalker, while Gretchen tried to get on her feet again to help.
“Help them,” I said. “I’ve got the ritual.”
Dom nodded and took off again, while I went back for the clocktower.

The Bat Nightwalker had damaged the walls, but the stairs were mostly intact. I raced up them, almost two at a time to make it back to the top of the clock tower. My legs ached and my lungs screamed for air, but I needed to make it there before Calhoun did.

At last, I got up the last flight of stairs and found myself back at the top. Through the broken clock faces, I could see Smokey Falls enshrouded in mist. I could see distant specks of people out on the street. I had one shot to get this right… only one.

Calhoun’s ritual waited before me. I set my gun down and reached out to pick up a shard of glass off the floor. Bracing myself for the pain, I gently raked the glass across the bottom of my palm, leaving a shallow cut. Then, I held my hand over the incense burner and let the blood flow into it.

I saw a ripple pass through the mist before me… and I felt it respond. As I breathed in the incense, I could feel myself… drifting. Even through my mask, I could feel the mist filling my lungs and I reached up to pull it down so I could breathe it in better.

Gretchen hadn’t told me exactly what to do, but somehow I could sense it. Different places appeared in my mind. The town in Estonia, Bakersfield, Parsons, Thompson Falls… the places I could bring this town. I realized that the mist was giving me the chance to choose. And there was really only one right choice. To set it all back where it belonged.
I pictured Smokey Falls exactly as it had been when I’d arrived, and I felt the mist respond.

Then I heard movement beside me. The crunch of glass underfoot. I heard Calhoun breathing as he came for me. I only barely moved out of the way in time as he brought his dagger down at the spot where I’d been kneeling only a moment before.
“No…” He panted, teeth gritted in rage. “NO! YOU WILL NOT TAKE MY WORLD FROM ME!”
He came for me again and in my panic, a new image flashed through my mind.
I envisioned Smokey Falls, empty. Lifeless. And I envisioned Parsons. Two images overlapping each other.

The mist pulsed again.

It accepted my choice.

The entire Church shook violently. Calhoun was thrown off balance and braced himself against the turret clock.
The mist rippled around us, as the entire world seemed to tremble. The sunlight faded abruptly, casting everything into absolute darkness. I could hear the distant crash as the consequences of my choice became manifest.

And then there was silence.

Calhoun looked out through the broken clock face, his single eye growing wide with terror.
“No…” He said again, looking out over the abomination that I had just created. “NO!”
The skyline of Parsons had changed. Merged. I could see it now, intersecting with Smokey Falls. Buildings merging in ways they should not be able to merge. Brick overlapping brick. Towers branching out from each other, sometimes not even at the right angles. Some of the buildings jutted out of each other like thorns or cancerous growths. The sight seemed so surreal… and yet it all stood, somehow.

“What did you just do?!” Calhoun demanded, looking at me with a wide, furious eye.
“You wanted Smokey Falls…” I said, “You got it… or I guess the version you would have left behind.”
“How?” He demanded.
“You’re the one who made this place,” I said. “You tell me how it works.”

He let out an enraged roar before coming at me with his dagger again, but this time I was ready for him. I kicked out at him, knocking him back a step before trying to scramble to my feet. Calhoun swayed drunkenly, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. My eyes darted to my gun, just a few feet away and I lunged for it.

Calhoun came for me again, but he wasn’t fast enough. I grabbed my gun off the ground and raised it to him, squeezing the trigger just as he reached me.

The first two bullets caught him in the stomach. The third struck the pendant around his neck, shattering it into splinters. It burst with a bright flash, as every soul he’d stolen was set free. I felt a cool wind wash over my face, as a vivid image of my mother’s face flashed through my mind. For a moment, I thought I felt a hand on my cheek… and then it was gone.

Calhoun stumbled, before tripping over me and falling toward the broken face of the clock tower. He had just enough time to scream as he plummeted through it, and into the darkness below. I didn’t give myself a chance to rest. Panting heavily, I dragged myself over to the broken clock face and poked my head out, looking down and hoping to see the broken corpse of Calhoun smashed against the cobblestone beneath me… but I had no such luck.

Calhoun only lay a few feet beneath me, on top of what might have been a hardware store, jutting out of the building across the street at an impossible angle. He’d landed by the window, on the cold, unforgiving brick, and was clutching his bleeding stomach as he stared up at the sky. His good eye fixated on me with a bitter hatred that I almost relished.

I forced myself to stand, taking aim at Calhoun with my gun to finish the job. But Calhoun wouldn’t give me the satisfaction. With the last of his strength, he rolled onto the window. I fired, only to watch the glass shatter beneath him. He fell into the store, and out of my sight.
“Son of a bitch…” I seethed, before I took one more look at the abomination of a cityscape I’d just created. Along some buildings, I could already see the glowing flowers of the Rosen Prince and I could hear gunfire and inhuman screeches in the street.

Part of me wondered if Calhoun was even worth pursuing into this nightmare… he had no pendant and thus no souls to barter with. This world of his was dying, waiting to be devoured by the Rosen Prince. But I also knew that if anyone could worm their way out of this situation, it was him… best to be sure.

Buckle down, because at this point this is just a stream of consciousness.
Basic INFO: Late diagnosis at 26, Person of color, primarily inattentive ADHD.
I don't have much memory of my childhood or adolescence and only a few key moments during young adulthood, and through an ADHD and trauma informed therapist we've been unpacking so much of me that I'd love to share for anyone who might be going or have gone through the same thing (I'll just speak to the ADHD ones in this post). One of the ongoing running jokes from my best friend since age 10, who just gets me, is that she is my memory holder, many times she'll recount a story and I'll say, "wow that's so interesting" and she'll say, "you were there!" or she'll often fill in the details or gaps from when I recount a story.
All that to say that I've been looking back and noticing so many ADHD symptoms that went unnoticed as well as remembering many of my self created behavior modifications (some that I still use) mirroring the same strategies given by therapists and ADHD coaches today. Now I know that research has shown that women are often under-diagnosed due to societal views and misunderstandings of ADHD and especially women who are persons of color due to culture, but this is a story of HOW much so.
As far as I can remember I was a heavy daydreamer. I loved to doodle, write, draw, and oftentimes in class I would zone out, or worse, fall asleep during class. Now this is where my first self created behavior modification stepped in, because I noticed this about myself and had very high expectations for doing well in school I learned to pick a small corner of my paper and draw small circles over and over again during classes during elementary school to stay focused and not fall asleep. As classes became more rigorous I used fun high lighters, gel pens, and unconventional note taking to keep my stimulated. I also noticed I was a very forgetful person, so during conversations I would cross my fingers when I had a point to make or wanted to ask a question but not interrupt.
Moving forward, for some reason I was placed in advanced classes and I suffered heavily from feeling so incredibly stupid and not understanding why it took me so much longer just be average in those classes and others could just study and get it. So being the resourceful person I am, I unintentionally created body doubles when doing homework, strict study timeframes with breaks, rewards for myself and was always the first one to create study groups. I also heavily relied on (and still do) timers to help me for tasks, and I will also use them to track how long it will take me to do a task so that I have a reference or baseline point for next time when scheduling it in my calendar. Color coded, multiple category google calendar was how I survived (I still use this). This went on all the way throughout undergraduate college, I also received my masters, and it's literally not until during my PhD program was I diagnosed and am just understanding what's happening. The punch line is that the field of my PhD program is in Psychology and Education. It wasn't until I was struggling so terribly during my PhD program that I sought out help on my own and was diagnosed and even the psychiatrist and therapist were flabbergasted on how far I went and how long it took for me to need help, I call it my 2019 breakdown.
All throughout my life I think my saving grace was because I did well socially. I have always been an empathetic, curious, observant and inclusive person and I think those qualities helped mitigate my interrupting, loud, forgetful, and sometimes emotional side. When I just couldn't do some tasks or understand things I would find help from my neurotypical friends. When I couldn't do things because of executive dysfunction, I would create fun ways to do things instead to excite my low dopamine brain.
Why did I create all of these behavior modifications starting at the very early age of 8? It was because of shame of being different than my academically inclined peers. Why was I always so hypervigilant and observant of others? It was because of shame and needing control. Why did I put so much pressure on myself to achieve academically like my peers? It was because of shame of being viewed as stupid (and culture, ha). What was a heavy influence in me pursing a PhD? It was because of shame and needing to prove to myself that I can do it.
What I'm working on now is not using or allowing shame/fear drive me any more. Yes it got me to where I am now, but it also left me with anxiety, depression, feeling like I'm having a mid life crisis at 30 and not being able to be in tune with my emotions, body, and authentic self. I'm slowly unmasking and choosing strategies that work for me instead of griping to them out of necessity.
If you read all of this, thank you! If not, from an ADHDer, I get it haha.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (95% Rotten Tomatoes)" plot : Following the Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers is the continuation of the journey of Frodo and Sam as they continue to make their way towards Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli search for the captured Merry and Pippin. Meanwhile, the evil Saruman builds an army of orcs to crush the people of Rohan, leading to a massive battle at Helm's Deep. As the forces of darkness grow stronger, Frodo and Sam meet the mysterious creature Gollum, who offers to guide them to Mordor, while Aragorn and the others join forces with the people of Rohan to continue the fight against the dark forces threatening Middle-earth.
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (90% Rotten Tomatoes)" plot : Harry, Ron, and Hermione returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of studies. However, the arrival of Sirius Black, a notorious wizard and supposed mass murderer, casts a shadow over the school, as he is rumored to be hunting Harry. As Harry and his friends attempt to uncover the truth behind Black's supposed crimes, they must also contend with the sinister Dementors, the soul-sucking guards of Azkaban prison, who have been stationed at Hogwarts to protect against Black's escape. Along the way, Harry discovers new magical abilities and delves deeper into the secrets of his own past, leading to a thrilling showdown that will determine the fate of the wizarding world.
Both "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" are beloved fantasy films, but they differ in tone, plot, and themes. "The Two Towers" is a darker and epic story of war and sacrifice, focusing on the Fellowship as they face their own challenges and confront complex themes like power and loyalty. Meanwhile, "The Prisoner of Azkaban" is a more lighthearted film that emphasizes character relationships and introduces darker elements, delving into themes of fear, identity, and consequences. Both movies are praised for their creativity and captivating worlds, but while "The Two Towers" emphasizes battles and grand themes, "The Prisoner of Azkaban" centers around personal growth and self-discovery.
Comment which you prefer; the winning movie will verse another fantasy movie.

I recently started studying again as for some reason I believed it would be different this time. For context I had to drop out of high school and have dropped out of uni twice before the last time being in 2020.
Every time has been due to my insomnia becoming so severe due to stress and also other mental issues I have increasing in severity due to it. I managed to jump up a few years in high school as I went to an alternative school and they were able to accomodate to my insomnia enough for me to have the requirements for further study.
I have slept a total of 6 hours in the past week, I am in and out of psychosis and do not trust myself to drive so I haven’t been going in to school. I also just can’t focus and complete any assignments.
I’ve been on zopiclone and quetiapine for 6 years now and I take breaks but recently I’ve had to stop the quetiapine due to bad side effects so I’m getting absolutely duck all sleep as zopiclone doesn’t make me tired. If anything it gives me energy. I believe this is due to undiagnosed adhd as it kind of slows my brain down enough for me to be able to focus on singular tasks. I’m waitlisted to get an adhd assessment and my doctor also believes this is the case.
Curious if anyone else has this experience with Z drugs / benzos and adhd!
Anyways I have been genuinely suicidal multiple times in the past few weeks due to the sleep deprivation and just don’t know wtf to do anymore. I also just feel so incompetent as I only have to physically go into my school twice a week! And they’re evening classes! But I still just can’t do it for some reason.
Maybe I should just drop out again? I really don’t know if anything will work until I’m properly medicated for the adhd which will take many months and the stress of studying is making me fucking insane.

The adoption of electric vehicles has been increasing around the globe, and almost all automakers are busy electrifying their lineup. But driving an EV may not be as hassle-free as some had thought, as YouTube star Marques Brownlee explains in a recent video on his Auto Focus channel.
Brownlee, who has over 16 million subscribers on his namesake main channel, is known for making technology-focused videos and driving a Tesla.
As the story goes, Brownlee went to a local mall to get food. A woman saw him arriving in a Tesla, flagged him down, and asked for help. As it turns out, she parked her son’s Tesla Model 3 at a ChargePoint charging station at the mall but could not get it to charge.
Brownlee explained to her that to charge a Tesla at a ChargePoint charging station, she would need an adapter. Since the woman didn’t seem to know what that was, Brownlee helped her open the trunk, find the adapter, and connect the EV to the charger. She also didn’t have a ChargePoint account, so Brownlee explained to her how to pay to start the session without requiring an account.
Once everything was set up, Brownlee headed inside the mall.
After grabbing his takeout, Brownlee headed back to his car but was flagged down by the woman again. He went to check and found that the charging still hadn’t started.
“At this point, I’m like, this could be one of those things where you don’t know what’s wrong,” he said.
He then noticed that the car next to hers was charging properly but the person had crossed the wire from one side to the next, perhaps realizing that one of the charging stations was broken.
The video, titled “This is ruining electric cars,” has been watched nearly 2 million times.

The importance of charging infrastructure

Brownlee pointed out that the charging infrastructure is “just as important to the electric car experience as the car itself.”
“Imagine explaining to your parents, your grandparents, or anyone who’s not super adept with technology especially, that instead of going to a gas station, they need to make sure they find a working charger with the right adapter and all this — it might take longer, it might be a slower charger, it might be broken.”
And it could be a major hurdle to electric car adoption.
“There’s been versions of this before, where people are actually, genuinely mad, like ‘I don’t think the electric car thing is for me,’” Brownlee remarked, adding that there are countless examples that keep bringing this to light.
While it’s true that the EV charging experience may not be as smooth as some had hoped, the infrastructure is rapidly evolving.
Here’s a look at three companies that are installing charging stations across the country. With an increasing number of EVs on the road, this trio stands to make money. Wall Street also sees upside in them.

ChargePoint Holdings

Even though Brownlee didn’t have a pleasant experience with that particular ChargePoint charging station, the company is solidly positioned for the EV boom.
ChargePoint Holdings (CHPT) has one of the largest EV charging networks in the world. It has around 5,000 commercial and fleet customers, including 80% of Fortune 50 companies. Since its inception, ChargePoint has delivered more than 158 million charging sessions.
EV stocks weren’t market darlings in 2022 and this EV infrastructure play was caught in the sell-off as well. Despite the bounce in 2023, ChargePoint shares are down 47% over the last 12 months.
That could give bargain hunters something to think about.
JPMorgan analyst Bill Peterson has an ‘overweight’ rating on ChargePoint and a price target of $15 — roughly 53% above where the stock sits today.
Read more: UBS says 61% of millionaire collectors allocate up to 30% of their overall portfolio to this exclusive asset class

Blink Charging

With a market cap of around $450 million, Blink Charging (BLNK) is a relatively underfollowed name in the world of EV stocks.
Shares have been on a rollercoaster ride.
At the beginning of 2020, Blink Charging was trading at less than $2 per share. It shot up to over $60 per share in January 2021 before losing momentum. Today, it’s at $7.50.
Blink has deployed more than 58,000 EV charging ports across 25 countries. It uses proprietary-based software that operates, maintains, and tracks the EV stations connected to its network.
In Q4 of 2022, revenue rose 184% from a year ago to $22.6 million.
The increasing adoption of EVs should continue to fuel growth in Blink’s business.
Roth MKM analyst Craig Irwin has a ‘buy’ rating on Blink and a price target of $25 — implying a potential upside of 233%.

Tesla (TSLA)

Tesla (TSLA) has long been the go-to choice for people looking for EV stocks — its market cap is now several times bigger than Ford and General Motors combined. But other than being an EV manufacturer, it’s also a play on charging infrastructure.
Tesla has deployed over 40,000 Superchargers around the globe. Notably, these Superchargers can add up to 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes.
“Since charging above 80 percent is rarely necessary, stops are typically short and convenient,” the company says.
As an EV maker, Tesla’s business is going in the right direction. In 2022, the company delivered 1,313,851 EVs, representing a 40% increase year over year.
Barclays analyst Dan Levy has an ‘overweight’ rating on Tesla and a price target of $275. Since shares trade at around $195 today, the price target implies a potential upside of 41%.
Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ruining-electric-cars-top-youtuber-140000470.html

InnerScope Hearing Technologies Inc. (OTC: INND) ("InnerScope"), an emerging and disruptive leader in the Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aid space today announced together with its subsidiary, HearingAssist Inc. ("HearingAssist") will join in celebrating in the World Health Organization (WHO) World Hearing Day on March 3rd, 2023, by promoting hearing health awareness through its HearingAssist branded affordable FDA-registered OTC Hearing Aids "America's #1 Brand of OTC Hearing Aids" offered in 1500+ Walmart Vision Centers and on Walmart.com.

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World Hearing Day is an annual global advocacy event for raising awareness of hearing loss, promoting ear and hearing care, and calling for action to address hearing loss and related issues. InnerScope and HearingAssist are doing their part by raising public awareness for a call to action on early detection of hearing loss by first promoting access to FREE Hearing Screenings and early treatment of hearing loss, with easy access to HearingAssist's Affordable OTC Hearing Aids, now available nationwide at 1500+ Walmart Vision Centers and on Walmart.com.

Find out what you are hearing and what you are not!

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Today, 48 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss, and half of those with hearing loss are younger than age 65. Hearing Loss is the third most common health problem among older adults in the U.S. Currently, tens of millions of Americans with untreated hearing loss (those with hearing loss who do not wear hearing aids) experience a decreased quality of life. Untreated hearing loss can lead to sadness, isolation, depression, anxiety, paranoia, cognitive decline, and poor social relationships.

A new study published in JAMA this January shows that hearing loss increases the risk of dementia. However, the study also found that wearing hearing aids to treat hearing loss lowers the risks of dementia in older adults. Despite numerous studies showing the increased risk of health problems associated with untreated hearing loss, including accelerated brain atrophy or shrinkage, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) reports that of the 28.8 million Americans (age 20-69) who could benefit from wearing hearing aids, fewer than 16% have ever used them, mostly due to the lack of access to affordable hearing aids.

"World Hearing Day is a great opportunity to bring much-needed awareness to the general public about hearing loss and the poorer quality of life if left untreated," said Matthew Moore, President and CEO of InnerScope Hearing Technologies. "The most common treatment for hearing loss is hearing aids. Yet, the lack of awareness of the increased risks of mental health problems associated with untreated hearing loss, and the lack of accessibility to affordable hearing aids, caused millions of people to live with the health consequences of untreated hearing loss. We have always believed that greater access to more affordable hearing aids could improve the lives of those with untreated self-perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. Now, thanks to the new OTC Hearing Aid Law, FDA-registered OTC hearing aids can be sold in stores and online without a prescription or required to see a medical or hearing professional. HearingAssist is proud to offer its Affordable FDA-registered OTC Rechargeable Hearing Aids at 1500+ Walmart Visions Centers and online on Walmart.com."

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The World Health Organization (WHO) issued its first World Report on Hearing, which can be accessed here. The report provides an in-depth look at hearing loss and its impact on society as a whole and provides possible solutions for the identification and rehabilitation efforts to help those in need of hearing assistance. Ear and hearing care is an essential component of universal health coverage and keeps our communities healthy and productive.

About InnerScope Hearing Technologies, Inc. OTC PINK: $INND

InnerScope Hearing Technologies Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of OTC Hearing Aids, Hearing Aid Accessories & Hearing Health-Related Products ("Hearing Products") dedicated to addressing the global demand for affordable hearing solutions. InnerScope's Hearing Products and its B2C and B2B business model break through the barriers that prevent access to effective and affordable hearing solutions.

InnerScope's recent acquisition of iHear Medical Inc., a Direct-to-Consumer ("DTC") cloud-based hearing solution provider, gives the Company access to over 40 patents and an R&D facility. In addition, InnerScope has acquired HearingAssist, an established leader since 2008 in the DTC hearing aid market with a customer base of over 400,000. These acquisitions, combined with a partnership with Atlazo Inc., a semiconductor innovator for next-generation AI smart devices, will allow InnerScope to better position itself in the OTC hearing aid market by selling advanced Hearing Products through Walmart and many other major retailers and pharmacy chains.

InnerScope's full line of its HearingAssist and iHEAR branded Hearing Products is currently available through these multiple retail/wholesale distribution channels: Walmart Vision Centers, Walmart.com, Walmart Canada, CVS.com, RiteAid.com, Target.com, BestBuy.com, Amazon.com, Fingerhut.com, Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Hartig Drug, Food City, Cardinal Health™ at-Home, Carewell.com FSAStore.com, HSAStore.com, WellDeservedHealth.com, Wakefern Food Corp. / ShopRite, SpartanNash / VG's Grocery / Family Fare / Martin's Super Markets and Topco Associates representing 1000's of stores.

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For the most up-to-date information about InnerScope Hearing Technologies (OTC: INND), please visit and follow our official Twitter account u/inndstock page:

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InnerScope Hyperlinks:

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HearingAssist - Walmart.com

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HearingAssist - RiteAid.com

HearingAssist - BestBuy.com

iHEAR

iHEAR - CVS.com

Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Hartig Drug, Food City, Cardinal Health™ at-Home, Carewell.com FSAStore.com, HSAStore.com, WellDeservedHealth.com, Wakefern Food Corp. / ShopRite, SpartanNash / VG's Grocery / Family Fare / Martin's Super Markets, Topco Associates

Acquisition of iHear Medical Inc.

Acquisition of HearingAssist

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This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Any statements that are not historical facts contained in this press release are also "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA). Such statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "plans," "projects," "will," "may," "anticipates," "believes," "should," "intends," "estimates," and other words of similar meaning. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, involve known and unknown risks, a reliance on third parties for information, transactions or orders that may be canceled, and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in our industry, to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results include risks and uncertainties related to the fluctuation of global economic conditions, the performance of management and our employees, our ability to obtain financing or maintain contractual relationships with vendors and customers, competition, general economic conditions and other factors that are detailed in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). We intend that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA, Securities Act, and Securities Exchange Act.

Contact:
InnerScope Hearing Technologies, Inc.
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833-788-0506
www.innd.com

Listen to the most recent Vicious Syndicate podcast here - https://www.vicioussyndicate.com/vs-data-reaper-podcast-episode-125/
As always, glad to do these summaries, but a summary won't be able to cover everything and can miss nuances, so I highly recommend listening to their podcast as well. The final VS Report for March of the Lich King will be out Thursday, March 30th. There's a small chance we'll get a podcast sometime between now and the expansion release, but it's more likely this is the last podcast until Festival of Legends releases.
General - Final report for the March of the Lich King meta will be this week. ZachO will then take a "break" to work on expansion content for theorycrafting and the comprehensive preview of the new expansion. It seems like this go around they're holding back from showing all cards for individual classes until the final reveal stream on the 30th. VS got the DK card reveals at the last minute this week from Blizzard (which they are very thankful for); someone had canceled last minute and they got the cards a few hours before the VS Report went live.
ETC - ZachO spent hours analyzing ETC for the last report to see how it optimally fit into decks (if at all), and his conclusion is the card is still mostly bad, but putting in the right cards can make the card semi viable in certain decks instead of being a statistical abomination tanking your winrate. Hat chimes in that with all the analysis ZachO did, adding ETC with the correct band cards in the decks its optimal in (like Thief Rogue) is more of a sidegrade than an upgrade to those decks. There is no deck where ETC improves the performance of the deck, there's only decks that it doesn't hurt the winrate. ZachO personally thinks the only way ETC can ever be a game changer in a deck is if it's used in a manner to bypass a deckbuilding restriction to enable an archetype, rather than being a complimentary piece to anything.

Core Set

Overview - Full Core set was revealed this past week. Some of the biggest talking points: Tradeable is now an evergreen mechanic and is a key part of the Core set, Magnetic is back this year but not evergreen, Priest saw a decent overhaul due to the Overheal addition and Shadow being part of Priest's identity going forward (to no one's surprise, Hat is delighted Benedictus is staying), and the fact this is the first time we're getting meta relevant cards to stick around immediately after they were scheduled to rotate out (sorry Sunreaver Spy). There is a clear effort to raise the power level of every class and make them as well rounded as possible through the core set. With the exceptions of Radiant Elemental, Earthen Scales, and Brann, nothing impactful in the past few metas is rotating out (Armor Vendor is also noted as a direct upgrade to Mistress of Mixtures). It seems like Team 5 realized there's no point in keeping useless cards in the core set. Notable that the Core set will also be more flexible this time around, with Team 5 willing to rotate in and out cards if needed throughout the year. Brann got a lot of cards nerfed this year, so this is a great change. Also interesting they tried to add in Carnivorous Cube and Sunkeeper Tarim to the Core set, but they were too busted in their playtesting.
Demon Hunter - Metamorphosis at 4 mana may be relevant since it deals 8 damage over 2 turns. Illidari Studies is rotating back into Standard at a time where there's almost no bad Outcast cards in the pool, and only 2 of them cost more than 3 mana (Eye Beam which will typically cost 1, and Glaivesmith which just got buffed). Should be a huge addition to Outcast DH. Immolation Aura is a huge upgrade from Chaos Nova for more defensive DH decks. Unnerfed Kayn will probably see play in almost any aggressive DH deck. Exciting upgrades, even though the class got the fewest card changes of any class not including Death Knight.
Druid - Lunar and Solar Eclipses can slot into multiple Druid archetype (especially Ramp Druid), and the buffed Treants along with Witchwood Apple being reworked should be a buff to token decks. ZachO thinks Soul of the Forest to 3 mana will be quite relevant since it's been a somewhat bait-y card for the last 4 years in Druid. ZachO is disappointed they added Kiri into core without buffing it, because it never saw play at 4 mana. If Druid gets more big spells like Cenarion Ward, they could be dangerous with Solar Eclipse. Hat points out that thus far we haven't seen a lot of things Druid would want to ramp into, and it seems like they're pushing more 5 and 6 mana cards for Druid to play instead of just playing Nourish on 5 mana.
Hunter - Hat says Hunter's core set feels like it has less clear direction in what they're trying to push for the class compared to other classes. Cat Trick and Wandering Monster are big additions to their secret package. Secret Hunter may not be a thing, but these two secrets are some of the rare secrets that may be good enough to see play without additional secret support (Hat and ZachO disagree on this). Keeping Doggie Biscuit and getting Dragonbane is very relevant for the class. Jeweled Macaw, along with every other 1 drop random generator, got their health buffed. It seems like Team 5 doesn't want to give you a stat penalty for randomly generating a card, whereas they will if it draws a card like Knight of Anointment or Trinket Tracker. It may still not be good enough for constructed decks, but worth considering.
Mage - Keeping Fire Sale is great. Firelands Portal has been powercrept but may still see play due to the new Millhouse. Flame Geyser is now an Arcane Shot that adds a 1/2 to your hand. Arcane Artificer getting added back in indicates we'll probably see more big spell support for Mage. Stargazer Luna may not be quite as insane without Luna's Pocket Galaxy, but she'll be relevant in lower curve decks. Cards rotating out didn't see constructed play.
Paladin - No secrets in Paladin should make Paladin players happy. Hat points out that Paladin losing secrets also ironically makes Rogue worse. Team 5 isn't committing to never having secrets in Paladin again, but they want to see how the class plays without them. ZachO hates secrets for long term design, so he's happy with this decision. Truesilver now buffing you for 6 health over 2 swings will make players look at the card again. Consecration and Hammer of Wrath going to 3 mana will make you seriously look at putting them into constructed decks. Consecration could be a workable substitute for City Tax in Equality clear combos. Muster For Battle is arguably the best dude card of all time and getting Lothraxion will potentially make Dude Paladin work. Grimestreet Outfitter is now a Bannerman that doesn't draw a card but costs 1 less. Hand of Adal will also be a relevant card. Class got arguably one of the strongest Core sets.
Priest - With the Overheal cards, Crimson Clergy is the new substitute to Northshire Cleric, and Holy Champion is a potential Totem Golem at 2 mana now. Shadow Ascendent saw play as a 2/2 and becomes stronger with the health buff. Shard of the Naaru staying means Priest remains the premiere silence class. Catrina Muerta's change to only resurrect Undead signals we'll likely see support throughout the year towards re-summoning Undead in Priest. ZachO thinks this is a buff to the card. The old version could only be run in Big Priest decks, whereas this version lets you play it in any Priest deck running a few support cards (large Undead minions and Catrina). Priest is getting a lot of new proactive tools so it no longer has to be a purely reactive class.
Rogue - Shadowstep staying is the biggest news for the class, and ZachO is personally relieved. It seems like Team 5's philosophy is to not take away things that are fun and compelling for classes that are core to their identity, but to build around those things instead. Rogue is getting more secrets along with Hanar, although worth noting Hanar is now worse without Paladin secrets to discover. ZachO's not too excited about the individual secrets since Plagiarize and Cheat Death never saw relevant play. Eviscerate coming back makes sense with the amount of Combo support the class is getting and with Wicked Stab rotating. Hat loves the buff to Fan of Knives. Elven Minstrel saw play as a 3/2 and still sees play in Wild, so hard to imagine the buffed version not seeing play.
Shaman - Hex at 3 mana becomes a relevant card for single target removal and becomes an insane School Teacher option. Ancestral Knowledge going to 1 Overload makes ZachO happy (thanks Chakki). Shaman getting Zap back will be relevant for the Overload package they're printing this expansion. Overdraft staying in is a huge buff for Overload decks. Grand Master Eyesore and especially Thing From Below are a big buff for totem decks. Carving Chisel makes Thing From Below come out quick.
Warlock - ZachO thinks Warlock got the biggest strength boost of any class with the Core set changes. Defile is one of the best AoE cards of all time. The big demon package with Voidcaller is insane. Jailer and Malganis can checkmate certain decks. Spirit Bomb seems like a weird inclusion, but it may have synergy with the new 1 mana minion that makes you Immune.
Warrior - Warrior is getting some control support in the Core set, but ZachO isn't sure if it combined with what they're currently getting in the expansion will be enough to make it viable. Sword Eater is viable for both aggressive and more defensive Warrior decks. Amargadillo gets a +2 health buff to 8, which makes it a pretty beefy taunt. Heavy Plate staying in Standard gives Warrior additional armor gain. Woodcutter Axe is a pretty good update for modern Hearthstone. Warrior’s additions seem okay, but ZachO's disappointed that they didn't do more. Warrior seems like it has a vague direction based off what we've seen in their expansion card reveals so far.
Neutrals - Most impactful Legendary rotating out is obviously Brann. Armor Vendor is a direct upgrade to Mistress. Of the new neutral legendary cards, Dr. Boom is probably not good enough to see play in 2023, but Zilliax will be relevant, and ZachO personally thinks Blood Control DK would love to run Ragnaros. Black Knight is now a real tech card. Cult Neophyte was a heavily utilized card during its run in Standard. Hat is a little nervous that Rogue is getting all these bounce cards that can abuse Neophyte, but ZachO doesn't seem too worried since Neophyte was never a power outlier in Rogue decks. Dirty Rat is ZachO's least favorite card being added into Standard, even though he recognizes there are a lot of people who love the card. Dirty Rat has always been perceived to be more powerful than it actually is, so it will have a high playrate regardless of how it actually performs. It may be a likely candidate to rotate out of Core early because it could prove too frustrating for players with how it can lead to blowout games for either player. In addition to Zilliax, we're getting a few Magnetic mechs back, all which have been buffed. With the amount of 4/2 weapons being added in this expansion, Dread Corsair is going to be relevant. Tour Guide coming back is a huge deal for most classes. The largest impact to the Core set is Tinyfin rotating out for Snowflipper Penguin.

Festival of Legends Expansion Cards

Death Knight - Death Growl is the strongest DK card they've revealed. Insane synergy for Aggro Unholy DK between eggs and Chillfallen Baron. Card can also have late game implications with Cage Head. Questionable if Unholy DK can build a slower, reactive deck around Cage Head and Boneshredders though. ZachO's not a fan of Mosh Pit due to its corpse cost. It's a very slow card that can't be utilized on curve. Arcanite Ripper might be decent, but Harmonic Metal and Screaming Banshee might be better cards for Blood DK decks. Screaming Banshee can generate 10/10 in stats with a single Vampiric Blood. Card doesn't do anything the turn it's played, but it can generate so many stats it’s a must remove card. Blood Buff DK might be a thing with these cards. Interesting that every DK card revealed besides Cage Head is a single rune card, so theoretically all these cards can go into a Rainbow DK deck. Still seems like a stretch that Rainbow DK will be viable.
Demon Hunter - Glaivetar is the best DH card of the expansion, "and it's not particularly close." In Outcast DH Glaivetar can potentially draw 5-6 cards. Rush the Stage and SECURITY!! may also make Outcast DH viable. ZachO seems high on Snakebite, which in turn makes him like SECURITY!! even more. Snakebite can be a huge early game swing, cost 1 mana off Rush the Stage, and gets buffed when any minion dies, not just your own. Outcast DH has the theoretical tools to beat early game initiative focused decks, but still some question if it have enough tools to beat late game decks. Halveria Darkraven seems more suspect, although Hat likens it to a potential Bloodlust in the mid game. Halveria continuously buffing S'theno could be relevant. The rest of DH's revealed cards are very flavorful, but it doesn't seem like there's currently a deck that would run them.
Druid - The current focus of Druid seems to be split between big spells and treants. Summer Flowerchild is ZachO's standout card for the class so far. Timber Tambourine can summon 4 5/5s quite easily, which is a lot of stats to put on the board at once. Hat points out the synergy Green-Thumb Gardner has with the weapon since it's a free proc for the weapon. Most decks will not be able to deal with an instant board full of 5/5s.
Hunter - Arrow Smith is a weaker Flamewaker, but ZachO does think the card is very good. Bunch of Bananas and Barrel of Monkeys are like Twin Spells with 3 charges. Not quite sure what to do with these cards though. A 1 mana +1/+1 buff isn't great by itself, but the flexibility of Bunch of Bananas might make it more viable. Jungle Jammer is a decent weapon since it's a 4 mana 4/2 weapon.
Mage - DJ Manastorm can set up some big OTKs with your big burn spells like Pyroblast. Some question on how you build a defensive Mage deck that can get you to the big blowout Manastorm turn, but Solid Alibi is a card that's still in Standard. Infinitize the Maxitude is potentially infinite value but seems very clunky with its Finale condition. May only see play in Casino Mage.
Paladin - Hat thinks Spotlight is the best card that's been revealed so far. Paladin has no shortage of Divine Shields it can play on 1 mana, so this is a powerful turn 2 play on curve. Has a cute combo with Starlight Groove where if you use it on your hero's Divine Shield, it'll immediately generate it back. Annoy-o-Troupe should just be called Annoy-o-Lord. It's a stronger standalone card than Voidlord. If you don't have a silence or transform effect, it's nearly impossible to get through the taunts it generates. Lead Dancer and Kangor, Dancing King are the intended cheat effects to get it out earlier, but ZachO's not high on Lead Dancer and would rather pay 9 life to play it with Blood Crusader. Hat points out the synergy Kangor can have with some rush cards, and Mish-Mash Mosher and Amplified Elekk become Renos. ZachO's concern for a Big Paladin deck is that while cheating out an Annoy-o-Daddy can win games on the spot against faster decks, you need more than that to beat slower resource focused decks. The Countess or a different neutral card is what you'd have to tap into. Funkfin and Jitterbug are okay, but ZachO's not too high on them. Funkfin is not a good standalone card, and Jitterbug is a newer Cult Master that usually guarantees you 1 draw.
Priest - Priest’s set so far is a bit weird. It seems like they're encouraging a proactive Overheal deck, but ZachO is skeptical if you'd choose to go for this type of deck over Shadow Priest. Hat thinks Hearthrob is Evolve Shaman-esque and can build some big boards. ZachO is less optimistic since it's hard to cheat out a lot of healing in the early game, even though there are things like Fan Club that can help. ZachO thinks Power Chord: Synchronize is one of the better cards revealed as it’s a better Seance. Heartbreaker Hedanis may be the most interesting Priest card revealed since there could be some OTK implications with the card. ZachO's not too high on the Priest set.
Rogue - ZachO reiterates how important Shadowstep is to Rogue's set, and it's an important glue card that would make all the cards they've revealed for Rogue significantly worse without it. Disc Jockey is a one use Whirlkick Master. Its stats make it work well with Breakdance. The cards you want to bounce with Breakdance are different than the cards you want to bounce with Shadowstep; you want cards with high stats to bounce with Breakdance. Rhyme Spinner is the payoff for the bounce/combo archetype. Rhyme Spinner might be relevant for Miracle Rogue, especially in combination with Record Scratcher. ZachO loves that Record Scratcher has anti-synergy with Draka. ZachO calls Bounce Around overrated, and Hat says it's as overrated as little Scabbs was when it was first revealed. Best case scenario for Bounce Around is that it's a 3 mana Potion of Illusion. Unlike Potion, you lose all your minions on board and don't get 1/1 copies of them. Potion of Illusion also never saw play in a Rogue deck. There might be some combo implications for Bounce Around but forcing you to replay the minions on the same turn means it'll have limited utilization. Bounce Around will not see play in a Miracle Rogue type of deck. In ZachO's words: "You guys are overreacting."
Shaman - Shaman is getting an Overload theme this expansion. ZachO says he's tried to build and theorycraft an Overload Shaman deck based off what we've seen so far in the expansion reveal and Core set, but right now it feels like an incomplete deck. Seems like the deck wants you to play Jazz Bass, overload yourself, unlock your mana crystals and then cheat out an early Pack the House. It's an okay play, but it's not game winning. It's still not clear if Jazz Bass improves with each Overload card or each Overloaded mana crystal, but ZachO and Hat assume it's the former. Hat says we got a lot of good individual cards for Shaman, but it feels rough trying to slot them into decks. ZachO is high on JIVE, INSECT!, but the card alone likely won't enable a deck archetype. The most ideal play with it is getting a Ragnaros and then playing Criminal Lineup to OTK your opponent, but that's a highly copium play. Inzah feels disappointing, and Hat wishes it was a 4 mana 4/4. Shaman doesn't have the burn to execute an OTK strategy with Inzah.
Warlock - ZachO thinks Rin, Orchestrator of Doom will be bad, but see lots of play. Hat likens it to Tickatus. Given we've barely seen any of Warlock's expansion set, but the cards they're getting added into Core are much more exciting than the cards they're getting this expansion. Chadlock with Malganis looks spicy.
Warrior - ZachO thinks Warrior is unjustifiably getting a bad rep. Verse Riff, Chorus Riff, and Bridge Riff play off of each other, but playing your first riff is very mediocre. It feels like relics from DH, but unlike relics there's no late game scaling with riffs. The best thing about the package is that even if it's bad, it's very easy to buff by just cutting a mana cost from each card. Team 5 wants Warrior to play these cards, so ZachO can't imagine a scenario where they don't buff the cards if they turn out to be bad. Blackrock n Roll got so much hate from the playerbase, but ZachO says this card is better than Bounce Around. He thinks Blackrock n Roll is more likely to create a meta defining deck in the future than Bounce Around. Blackrock is like a "hobo Pocket Galaxy" where it can turn your minions into huge game winning threats. ZachO can envision a Control Warrior deck playing Blackrock alongside Lor'themar Theron, which will make any minion you play potentially game winning. After Blackrock, Zilliax becomes an 8/7 and can be tutored out and buffed more with Last Stand, which can be a huge swing. Trenchstalker buffed by the card can end games. ZachO thinks it's "inevitable" that the card becomes good, and gives it a 4/4. He thinks the only way the card isn't viable is if Warrior doesn't get any early game survival tools. Tony Warrior still might be the best deck for the class, but if that's the case it seems unlikely that it doesn't get nerfed if it is meta defining.

Listen to the most recent Vicious Syndicate podcast here - https://www.vicioussyndicate.com/vs-data-reaper-podcast-episode-125/
As always, glad to do these summaries, but a summary won't be able to cover everything and can miss nuances, so I highly recommend listening to their podcast as well. The final VS Report for March of the Lich King will be out Thursday, March 30th. There's a small chance we'll get a podcast sometime between now and the expansion release, but it's more likely this is the last podcast until Festival of Legends releases.
General - Final report for the March of the Lich King meta will be this week. ZachO will then take a "break" to work on expansion content for theorycrafting and the comprehensive preview of the new expansion. It seems like this go around they're holding back from showing all cards for individual classes until the final reveal stream on the 30th. VS got the DK card reveals at the last minute this week from Blizzard (which they are very thankful for); someone had canceled last minute and they got the cards a few hours before the VS Report went live.
ETC - ZachO spent hours analyzing ETC for the last report to see how it optimally fit into decks (if at all), and his conclusion is the card is still mostly bad, but putting in the right cards can make the card semi viable in certain decks instead of being a statistical abomination tanking your winrate. Hat chimes in that with all the analysis ZachO did, adding ETC with the correct band cards in the decks its optimal in (like Thief Rogue) is more of a sidegrade than an upgrade to those decks. There is no deck where ETC improves the performance of the deck, there's only decks that it doesn't hurt the winrate. ZachO personally thinks the only way ETC can ever be a game changer in a deck is if it's used in a manner to bypass a deckbuilding restriction to enable an archetype, rather than being a complimentary piece to anything.

Core Set

Overview - Full Core set was revealed this past week. Some of the biggest talking points: Tradeable is now an evergreen mechanic and is a key part of the Core set, Magnetic is back this year but not evergreen, Priest saw a decent overhaul due to the Overheal addition and Shadow being part of Priest's identity going forward (to no one's surprise, Hat is delighted Benedictus is staying), and the fact this is the first time we're getting meta relevant cards to stick around immediately after they were scheduled to rotate out (sorry Sunreaver Spy). There is a clear effort to raise the power level of every class and make them as well rounded as possible through the core set. With the exceptions of Radiant Elemental, Earthen Scales, and Brann, nothing impactful in the past few metas is rotating out (Armor Vendor is also noted as a direct upgrade to Mistress of Mixtures). It seems like Team 5 realized there's no point in keeping useless cards in the core set. Notable that the Core set will also be more flexible this time around, with Team 5 willing to rotate in and out cards if needed throughout the year. Brann got a lot of cards nerfed this year, so this is a great change. Also interesting they tried to add in Carnivorous Cube and Sunkeeper Tarim to the Core set, but they were too busted in their playtesting.
Demon Hunter - Metamorphosis at 4 mana may be relevant since it deals 8 damage over 2 turns. Illidari Studies is rotating back into Standard at a time where there's almost no bad Outcast cards in the pool, and only 2 of them cost more than 3 mana (Eye Beam which will typically cost 1, and Glaivesmith which just got buffed). Should be a huge addition to Outcast DH. Immolation Aura is a huge upgrade from Chaos Nova for more defensive DH decks. Unnerfed Kayn will probably see play in almost any aggressive DH deck. Exciting upgrades, even though the class got the fewest card changes of any class not including Death Knight.
Druid - Lunar and Solar Eclipses can slot into multiple Druid archetype (especially Ramp Druid), and the buffed Treants along with Witchwood Apple being reworked should be a buff to token decks. ZachO thinks Soul of the Forest to 3 mana will be quite relevant since it's been a somewhat bait-y card for the last 4 years in Druid. ZachO is disappointed they added Kiri into core without buffing it, because it never saw play at 4 mana. If Druid gets more big spells like Cenarion Ward, they could be dangerous with Solar Eclipse. Hat points out that thus far we haven't seen a lot of things Druid would want to ramp into, and it seems like they're pushing more 5 and 6 mana cards for Druid to play instead of just playing Nourish on 5 mana.
Hunter - Hat says Hunter's core set feels like it has less clear direction in what they're trying to push for the class compared to other classes. Cat Trick and Wandering Monster are big additions to their secret package. Secret Hunter may not be a thing, but these two secrets are some of the rare secrets that may be good enough to see play without additional secret support (Hat and ZachO disagree on this). Keeping Doggie Biscuit and getting Dragonbane is very relevant for the class. Jeweled Macaw, along with every other 1 drop random generator, got their health buffed. It seems like Team 5 doesn't want to give you a stat penalty for randomly generating a card, whereas they will if it draws a card like Knight of Anointment or Trinket Tracker. It may still not be good enough for constructed decks, but worth considering.
Mage - Keeping Fire Sale is great. Firelands Portal has been powercrept but may still see play due to the new Millhouse. Flame Geyser is now an Arcane Shot that adds a 1/2 to your hand. Arcane Artificer getting added back in indicates we'll probably see more big spell support for Mage. Stargazer Luna may not be quite as insane without Luna's Pocket Galaxy, but she'll be relevant in lower curve decks. Cards rotating out didn't see constructed play.
Paladin - No secrets in Paladin should make Paladin players happy. Hat points out that Paladin losing secrets also ironically makes Rogue worse. Team 5 isn't committing to never having secrets in Paladin again, but they want to see how the class plays without them. ZachO hates secrets for long term design, so he's happy with this decision. Truesilver now buffing you for 6 health over 2 swings will make players look at the card again. Consecration and Hammer of Wrath going to 3 mana will make you seriously look at putting them into constructed decks. Consecration could be a workable substitute for City Tax in Equality clear combos. Muster For Battle is arguably the best dude card of all time and getting Lothraxion will potentially make Dude Paladin work. Grimestreet Outfitter is now a Bannerman that doesn't draw a card but costs 1 less. Hand of Adal will also be a relevant card. Class got arguably one of the strongest Core sets.
Priest - With the Overheal cards, Crimson Clergy is the new substitute to Northshire Cleric, and Holy Champion is a potential Totem Golem at 2 mana now. Shadow Ascendent saw play as a 2/2 and becomes stronger with the health buff. Shard of the Naaru staying means Priest remains the premiere silence class. Catrina Muerta's change to only resurrect Undead signals we'll likely see support throughout the year towards re-summoning Undead in Priest. ZachO thinks this is a buff to the card. The old version could only be run in Big Priest decks, whereas this version lets you play it in any Priest deck running a few support cards (large Undead minions and Catrina). Priest is getting a lot of new proactive tools so it no longer has to be a purely reactive class.
Rogue - Shadowstep staying is the biggest news for the class, and ZachO is personally relieved. It seems like Team 5's philosophy is to not take away things that are fun and compelling for classes that are core to their identity, but to build around those things instead. Rogue is getting more secrets along with Hanar, although worth noting Hanar is now worse without Paladin secrets to discover. ZachO's not too excited about the individual secrets since Plagiarize and Cheat Death never saw relevant play. Eviscerate coming back makes sense with the amount of Combo support the class is getting and with Wicked Stab rotating. Hat loves the buff to Fan of Knives. Elven Minstrel saw play as a 3/2 and still sees play in Wild, so hard to imagine the buffed version not seeing play.
Shaman - Hex at 3 mana becomes a relevant card for single target removal and becomes an insane School Teacher option. Ancestral Knowledge going to 1 Overload makes ZachO happy (thanks Chakki). Shaman getting Zap back will be relevant for the Overload package they're printing this expansion. Overdraft staying in is a huge buff for Overload decks. Grand Master Eyesore and especially Thing From Below are a big buff for totem decks. Carving Chisel makes Thing From Below come out quick.
Warlock - ZachO thinks Warlock got the biggest strength boost of any class with the Core set changes. Defile is one of the best AoE cards of all time. The big demon package with Voidcaller is insane. Jailer and Malganis can checkmate certain decks. Spirit Bomb seems like a weird inclusion, but it may have synergy with the new 1 mana minion that makes you Immune.
Warrior - Warrior is getting some control support in the Core set, but ZachO isn't sure if it combined with what they're currently getting in the expansion will be enough to make it viable. Sword Eater is viable for both aggressive and more defensive Warrior decks. Amargadillo gets a +2 health buff to 8, which makes it a pretty beefy taunt. Heavy Plate staying in Standard gives Warrior additional armor gain. Woodcutter Axe is a pretty good update for modern Hearthstone. Warrior’s additions seem okay, but ZachO's disappointed that they didn't do more. Warrior seems like it has a vague direction based off what we've seen in their expansion card reveals so far.
Neutrals - Most impactful Legendary rotating out is obviously Brann. Armor Vendor is a direct upgrade to Mistress. Of the new neutral legendary cards, Dr. Boom is probably not good enough to see play in 2023, but Zilliax will be relevant, and ZachO personally thinks Blood Control DK would love to run Ragnaros. Black Knight is now a real tech card. Cult Neophyte was a heavily utilized card during its run in Standard. Hat is a little nervous that Rogue is getting all these bounce cards that can abuse Neophyte, but ZachO doesn't seem too worried since Neophyte was never a power outlier in Rogue decks. Dirty Rat is ZachO's least favorite card being added into Standard, even though he recognizes there are a lot of people who love the card. Dirty Rat has always been perceived to be more powerful than it actually is, so it will have a high playrate regardless of how it actually performs. It may be a likely candidate to rotate out of Core early because it could prove too frustrating for players with how it can lead to blowout games for either player. In addition to Zilliax, we're getting a few Magnetic mechs back, all which have been buffed. With the amount of 4/2 weapons being added in this expansion, Dread Corsair is going to be relevant. Tour Guide coming back is a huge deal for most classes. The largest impact to the Core set is Tinyfin rotating out for Snowflipper Penguin.

Festival of Legends Expansion Cards

Death Knight - Death Growl is the strongest DK card they've revealed. Insane synergy for Aggro Unholy DK between eggs and Chillfallen Baron. Card can also have late game implications with Cage Head. Questionable if Unholy DK can build a slower, reactive deck around Cage Head and Boneshredders though. ZachO's not a fan of Mosh Pit due to its corpse cost. It's a very slow card that can't be utilized on curve. Arcanite Ripper might be decent, but Harmonic Metal and Screaming Banshee might be better cards for Blood DK decks. Screaming Banshee can generate 10/10 in stats with a single Vampiric Blood. Card doesn't do anything the turn it's played, but it can generate so many stats it’s a must remove card. Blood Buff DK might be a thing with these cards. Interesting that every DK card revealed besides Cage Head is a single rune card, so theoretically all these cards can go into a Rainbow DK deck. Still seems like a stretch that Rainbow DK will be viable.
Demon Hunter - Glaivetar is the best DH card of the expansion, "and it's not particularly close." In Outcast DH Glaivetar can potentially draw 5-6 cards. Rush the Stage and SECURITY!! may also make Outcast DH viable. ZachO seems high on Snakebite, which in turn makes him like SECURITY!! even more. Snakebite can be a huge early game swing, cost 1 mana off Rush the Stage, and gets buffed when any minion dies, not just your own. Outcast DH has the theoretical tools to beat early game initiative focused decks, but still some question if it have enough tools to beat late game decks. Halveria Darkraven seems more suspect, although Hat likens it to a potential Bloodlust in the mid game. Halveria continuously buffing S'theno could be relevant. The rest of DH's revealed cards are very flavorful, but it doesn't seem like there's currently a deck that would run them.
Druid - The current focus of Druid seems to be split between big spells and treants. Summer Flowerchild is ZachO's standout card for the class so far. Timber Tambourine can summon 4 5/5s quite easily, which is a lot of stats to put on the board at once. Hat points out the synergy Green-Thumb Gardner has with the weapon since it's a free proc for the weapon. Most decks will not be able to deal with an instant board full of 5/5s.
Hunter - Arrow Smith is a weaker Flamewaker, but ZachO does think the card is very good. Bunch of Bananas and Barrel of Monkeys are like Twin Spells with 3 charges. Not quite sure what to do with these cards though. A 1 mana +1/+1 buff isn't great by itself, but the flexibility of Bunch of Bananas might make it more viable. Jungle Jammer is a decent weapon since it's a 4 mana 4/2 weapon.
Mage - DJ Manastorm can set up some big OTKs with your big burn spells like Pyroblast. Some question on how you build a defensive Mage deck that can get you to the big blowout Manastorm turn, but Solid Alibi is a card that's still in Standard. Infinitize the Maxitude is potentially infinite value but seems very clunky with its Finale condition. May only see play in Casino Mage.
Paladin - Hat thinks Spotlight is the best card that's been revealed so far. Paladin has no shortage of Divine Shields it can play on 1 mana, so this is a powerful turn 2 play on curve. Has a cute combo with Starlight Groove where if you use it on your hero's Divine Shield, it'll immediately generate it back. Annoy-o-Troupe should just be called Annoy-o-Lord. It's a stronger standalone card than Voidlord. If you don't have a silence or transform effect, it's nearly impossible to get through the taunts it generates. Lead Dancer and Kangor, Dancing King are the intended cheat effects to get it out earlier, but ZachO's not high on Lead Dancer and would rather pay 9 life to play it with Blood Crusader. Hat points out the synergy Kangor can have with some rush cards, and Mish-Mash Mosher and Amplified Elekk become Renos. ZachO's concern for a Big Paladin deck is that while cheating out an Annoy-o-Daddy can win games on the spot against faster decks, you need more than that to beat slower resource focused decks. The Countess or a different neutral card is what you'd have to tap into. Funkfin and Jitterbug are okay, but ZachO's not too high on them. Funkfin is not a good standalone card, and Jitterbug is a newer Cult Master that usually guarantees you 1 draw.
Priest - Priest’s set so far is a bit weird. It seems like they're encouraging a proactive Overheal deck, but ZachO is skeptical if you'd choose to go for this type of deck over Shadow Priest. Hat thinks Hearthrob is Evolve Shaman-esque and can build some big boards. ZachO is less optimistic since it's hard to cheat out a lot of healing in the early game, even though there are things like Fan Club that can help. ZachO thinks Power Chord: Synchronize is one of the better cards revealed as it’s a better Seance. Heartbreaker Hedanis may be the most interesting Priest card revealed since there could be some OTK implications with the card. ZachO's not too high on the Priest set.
Rogue - ZachO reiterates how important Shadowstep is to Rogue's set, and it's an important glue card that would make all the cards they've revealed for Rogue significantly worse without it. Disc Jockey is a one use Whirlkick Master. Its stats make it work well with Breakdance. The cards you want to bounce with Breakdance are different than the cards you want to bounce with Shadowstep; you want cards with high stats to bounce with Breakdance. Rhyme Spinner is the payoff for the bounce/combo archetype. Rhyme Spinner might be relevant for Miracle Rogue, especially in combination with Record Scratcher. ZachO loves that Record Scratcher has anti-synergy with Draka. ZachO calls Bounce Around overrated, and Hat says it's as overrated as little Scabbs was when it was first revealed. Best case scenario for Bounce Around is that it's a 3 mana Potion of Illusion. Unlike Potion, you lose all your minions on board and don't get 1/1 copies of them. Potion of Illusion also never saw play in a Rogue deck. There might be some combo implications for Bounce Around but forcing you to replay the minions on the same turn means it'll have limited utilization. Bounce Around will not see play in a Miracle Rogue type of deck. In ZachO's words: "You guys are overreacting."
Shaman - Shaman is getting an Overload theme this expansion. ZachO says he's tried to build and theorycraft an Overload Shaman deck based off what we've seen so far in the expansion reveal and Core set, but right now it feels like an incomplete deck. Seems like the deck wants you to play Jazz Bass, overload yourself, unlock your mana crystals and then cheat out an early Pack the House. It's an okay play, but it's not game winning. It's still not clear if Jazz Bass improves with each Overload card or each Overloaded mana crystal, but ZachO and Hat assume it's the former. Hat says we got a lot of good individual cards for Shaman, but it feels rough trying to slot them into decks. ZachO is high on JIVE, INSECT!, but the card alone likely won't enable a deck archetype. The most ideal play with it is getting a Ragnaros and then playing Criminal Lineup to OTK your opponent, but that's a highly copium play. Inzah feels disappointing, and Hat wishes it was a 4 mana 4/4. Shaman doesn't have the burn to execute an OTK strategy with Inzah.
Warlock - ZachO thinks Rin, Orchestrator of Doom will be bad, but see lots of play. Hat likens it to Tickatus. Given we've barely seen any of Warlock's expansion set, but the cards they're getting added into Core are much more exciting than the cards they're getting this expansion. Chadlock with Malganis looks spicy.
Warrior - ZachO thinks Warrior is unjustifiably getting a bad rep. Verse Riff, Chorus Riff, and Bridge Riff play off of each other, but playing your first riff is very mediocre. It feels like relics from DH, but unlike relics there's no late game scaling with riffs. The best thing about the package is that even if it's bad, it's very easy to buff by just cutting a mana cost from each card. Team 5 wants Warrior to play these cards, so ZachO can't imagine a scenario where they don't buff the cards if they turn out to be bad. Blackrock n Roll got so much hate from the playerbase, but ZachO says this card is better than Bounce Around. He thinks Blackrock n Roll is more likely to create a meta defining deck in the future than Bounce Around. Blackrock is like a "hobo Pocket Galaxy" where it can turn your minions into huge game winning threats. ZachO can envision a Control Warrior deck playing Blackrock alongside Lor'themar Theron, which will make any minion you play potentially game winning. After Blackrock, Zilliax becomes an 8/7 and can be tutored out and buffed more with Last Stand, which can be a huge swing. Trenchstalker buffed by the card can end games. ZachO thinks it's "inevitable" that the card becomes good, and gives it a 4/4. He thinks the only way the card isn't viable is if Warrior doesn't get any early game survival tools. Tony Warrior still might be the best deck for the class, but if that's the case it seems unlikely that it doesn't get nerfed if it is meta defining.

I (19F) drive a car my parents bought in 2016 and gave to me in September last year to take with me to college. Parking in garages tends to stress me out because they are so tight in my city. In November, I accidentally scrapped someone’s car in a garage. I left a note with my number and had the owner file a claim with insurance, which (along with my parents’ other claims) made our premium increase a lot this year. This morning I scrapped my car on the other side while taking my car out of my apartments garage on a metal divider, which ended up cracking the bumper and puncturing a tire. I drive out of my garage every day and have no idea how this could have happened. I feel so ashamed and guilty and don’t feel like I deserve to drive anymore. I can’t believe I made two mistakes within 6 months. I don’t even know how I’m going to get to work tomorrow. I can tell my dad is stressed about how this will effect our insurance premium even though he says that it is okay and mistakes like this happen. I honestly don’t know how to cope and am unable to focus on my homework assignments and studying.

That's basically my question.
I am fairly new to reading philosophy and almost completely blank when it comes to reading psychology in. I get how someone can say, their worldview was hugely influenced by Camus or whotever.
But what do people without mental illness learn for their everyday lives from someone like Laing who (from browsing Wiki) seems to have focused on mental illness and how we so far treated schizophrenia-patients?
Phrased more openly: What can be found in psychological works, that is interesting and life-changing for the broader masses and not only for people working in the field?

I am currently wrapping up my first year as a cognitive science major. My focus thus far has been on speech and hearing, and I was ultimately planning on going to grad school for audiology until I saw a posting today offering only 40k for an audiologist in my area. I really don’t think it’s worth it to go into debt to make 40k a year. Or even 60k with a doctorate.
Careers I’ve previously considered are software engineering, speech-language pathology, clinical psychology, hearing aid specialist, and lawyer.
My serious interests do lie in hearing. I’ve tried to find jobs working for companies making hearing aids but I’ve had little to no luck. I’m also now worried that I picked an unemployable major, even if I do like it.

Cognitive psychology focuses on studying ________.

Cognitive Linguistics

Inside The Amplify Content Academy

VS

The importance of charging infrastructure

ChargePoint Holdings

Blink Charging

Tesla (TSLA)

Core Set

Festival of Legends Expansion Cards

Core Set

Festival of Legends Expansion Cards