#how stuff works

[blumineck]

A lot of things portrayed or marketed as bows are actually something else. So how can we tell the difference?

If you like bows, I use them also on Patreon

[endeavorance]

What even is a URL? Y'know, the thing you type into a web browser to make it go to a website. That. What is it. Why? And what else is like it? And also a bunch of other questions.

Welcome to the first episode of Technology Boy: a new series where I'm gonna just kinda nerd out at you for a while about various computer things in the vain hope that it'll help folks feel better equipped to navigate the world as a digital citizen.

You may know me from my current events newsletter/show, Stuff Keeps Happening, but turns out I'm actually a long time fan of being a huge nerd, and before I was doing content, I was a nerd full time for money. I liked the nerd part, but the "doing it for a corporation that doesn't care about anything but optimizing profits" was not why I liked technology.

🌐 LINKS N SUCH 🌐

URL Playground App: https://urls.stuffby.dev

Generate a DID: https://hub.ebsi.eu/tools/did-generator

All valid URN types: https://www.iana.org/assignments/urn-namespaces/urn-namespaces.xhtml

[hearth-and-veil]

I divide witchcraft into three levels - beginner, intermediate, and advanced, but they often coexist. You are rarely at just one level at a time.

Beginner Witchcraft: the What of magic. This is where you learn the basics, the procedures, the associations, the methods. (When it comes to most divination, I'm here!)

Intermediate Witchcraft: the Why of magic. This is where you question what you have learned to understand it.

Advanced Witchcraft: the How of magic. This is where you take the information you have learned from the previous two categories and learn to use it in your own way.

Example

Beginner Witchcraft: use salt to cleanse.

Intermediate Witchcraft: salt cleanses because it has multiple functional capabilities, including scouring, disinfecting, and absorption.

Advanced Witchcraft: salt is sodium. All forms of sodium have cleansing capabilities. The most absorbant form of sodium is sodium bicarbonate. This box of baking soda has been in my pantry for a few months so, even while closed, it has absorbed some of the protective essence of my home. Therefore I can open the box of baking soda and use it to absorb the negative energies out of my suitcase from this terrible trip. The home energy will capture and negate the away energy. I can then combine the baking soda with vinegar, which is effectively opposite on the pH scale, and which has strong banishing energy, to render both the energies and the chemical composition of the baking soda inert and I can dispose of it safely down my sink.

[sublime-phantom-dinosaur]

If I'm being honest, I don't understand how a Fax machine works. I remember as a kid, I pictured clear tubing between all the fax machines in the world and the fax machine rolled the document up, stuffed it in a tube, and Whooshhhh off she goes. Like the drive through deposit tubes at the bank.

But that can't be right?

[is-the-post-reliable]

anon who mentioned the antimatter spacecraft article! how stuff works' faq explicitly says that their articles are written by freelance writers, and that articles written in the past ten years includes a list of sources BUT as said previously, most articles were written in the early 2000s and haven't been updated despite what the article says, beyond being run through ai to change wording. physics phd and youtuber acollierastro has a video on her channel debunking the antimatter spacecraft article specifically, and she says that it is not an isolated incident. mediabiasfactcheck checks media bias, and how stuff works is admittedly unbiased, but that doesn't mean that its articles were written by experts or are based in up-to-date scientific findings. how stuff works is operated by system1, and their website is worth checking out

hi! again (not to sound like a broken record) but do you have any sources for this information (other than the youtube video referenced)?

MBFC doesn't just check media bias. They rate sources on bias, but also on factual reporting and credibility, as well as including a list of failed fact checks and a brief history.

For How Stuff Works, the MBFC rates it:

[justsomewhumpee]

Here's some uhhh "fun?" info about how deeper wounds work (unfortunately based on experience bc I am so clumsy lol) for your whump writing knowledge.

TW: mention of wounds, stitches, somewhat detailed description of stitching procedure, scars

So when you get a deep cut that goes past the surface of the skin (ie. needing stitches) there are a few things that need to happen to help it heal correctly and without infection. Depending on what caused the laceration, you may need a tetanus shot if it was some sort of metal (even if it wasn't rusty metal, this is usually done to play it safe). Then, they'll have to numb the area, and let me tell you -NOT FUN. Remember that open wound? Yeah, they inject the local anesthetic directly into the wound. IN to it- not near it. So that's really not fun, and it's even worse if you're able to watch it happen because the area swells up from the medication. So very unpleasant. From there, honestly the worst part is usually over. The stitching itself is scary to watch (caretaker said not to look for a reason!), but the most that's usually felt is some pressure from the needle- IF it is numbed completely.

What's worse though- is if you DON'T get stitches when you need them. So after a deep laceration, there is generally a 24 hour window (maximum) to get it stitched. Usually it's ideal to be done within 4-6 hours of the injury. If this doesn't happen, the wound cannot be stitched because the body has already started healing the wound as it currently is, and won't be able to heal back together and close. So this means: much longer healing process (sometimes can be a month or more depending on the laceration), the wound should stay covered with gauze for most of the beginning of healing to prevent infection which is a bigger risk with an open wound. This will additionally create a different looking scar than a wound that was stitched. They can look similar, but are obviously wider and flatter than a stitched wound which can heal with a raised and much thinner scar. Sometimes you can also see scarring from where the stitches were too! I think that's kind of cool, though.

This is just what I remember from the situation and doctors, I am not a professional.

Have fun patching up your whumpees! Or ya know.. Not

[nichrome-media]

Toasted Object Analysis and Synthesis Tactical Enforcement Reserve

Slice #253