This is a comment I made on a post earlier today. I’m making a post of it because I think it’s important that people get a chance to try other proven methods before trying finasteride or minoxidil. This topical may not help with bringing hair back (although it has been seen in studies but not reliably) but it should help with keeping hair from shedding or falling out. It may not work for everyone but it works for me. It should be noted that insulin resistance, cholesterol, testosterone, shbg, prolactin, blood sugar, and obviously genetics are also major factors in hair loss.
As always avoid sugar, refined carbs, and alcohol. Destress/Lower cortisol levels through medications or therapy. Be sure to get all needed vitamins and minerals (omega-3, vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium are major ones). Micro needle if you’re able too. Use nizoral, TGel, or TSal at least twice a week. Avoid inflammatory foods and foods that contain high amounts of omega-6 linoleic acid, and that one is for your overall health but it can affect hair health also.
Here’s the comment:
It seems like the DHT itch. It’s common for a lot of people experiencing hair loss. It’s usually itchy where the hair is actively falling out. I notice a few hairs come off when I rub or scratch that itchy area. One thing I’ve noticed tho is that if i eliminate the itch I eliminate the shedding.
So I read countless studies and made a topical based off the products they use as well as ingredients from other products that help with hair loss and almost completely eliminated my itch and my shedding stopped. It’s more or less cheap and worth a try. Here’s my recipe for the topical, thank fuck for chatGPT.
Here are the instructions for creating a topical hair loss solution with melatonin and cetirizine (Zyrtec). The final mixture will contain 1% of each component.
Materials:

• A 2-ounce dropper bottle • A sealable glass container for dissolving tablets • A glass vessel for gathering the filtered solution • Coffee filters • Melatonin tablets (6-10mg) • Cetirizine (Zyrtec) tablets (6-10mg) • 70% ethyl alcohol • Propylene glycol 

Procedure:

1. Start by pouring approximately 35ml of ethyl alcohol into a glass or metal container. An extra dropper bottle would work fine for this. 2. Crush your melatonin and cetirizine tablets into a fine powder, and add this into the container with the ethyl alcohol. 3. Securely close the container to prevent the alcohol from evaporating, which could alter your final concentration. 4. Shake the container vigorously to help dissolve the tablet powder into the alcohol. Leave the solution to sit for about an hour, then give it another good shake. Continue this process for about 4-5 hours to ensure everything is thoroughly dissolved. 5. Next, you’ll need to filter the solution. Using a coffee filter, slowly pour the solution into an empty, clean glass container. This step helps remove any remaining tablet particulates. 6. Discard the coffee filter and any leftover residue. The solution might look different based on the tablets used. It could be clear or slightly milky. 7. Carefully pour the filtered solution into the clean, empty 2oz dropper bottle. It should fill just over half of the bottle. 8. Now, measure out 24ml of propylene glycol and add this to the solution in the dropper bottle. If measured correctly, it should nearly fill the bottle, but you can add a bit more until it reaches the top. 

Usage and Storage:

• Your solution is now ready. It should last for about a month or even longer. To extend its shelf life, store it in a cool, dark place, preferably the refrigerator. • Apply the solution to your scalp, focusing on the areas experiencing hair loss, or you can spread it all over. It’s recommended to use it twice a day. • Shake the bottle before each application. If you’re applying to multiple areas, remember to shake the bottle between applications. • Some people reported decreased hair shedding within 3 days of usage. • If you wish, you can add other beneficial ingredients like resveratrol or various oils, but keep in mind this could affect the measurements. 

Always remember to do a patch test before applying any new product on your scalp, and consult your doctor if you have any doubts or concerns.

I'm looking for self hosted security camera solution that doesn't require cloud storage or for my cameras to be accessible only from their website. I want to capture, process and store everything locally and I want the cameras to be accessible locally via browser and hopefully a android app. Seems like the ones that offer a app for your phone require it to connect to their servers. I am hoping to find a solution that allows me to connect via the app for remote viewing without going through a vendor. Same with notifications..I am hoping to have remote notifications via the app I'd assume via push without relying on a vendor. Can a local system push notifications like this? A lot of times I'm away far enough from the house that I'd rely on mobile data or just out in general like work but I'd like to get notified of events and view them.
​
I'm planning on 8-12 cameras for monitoring and notifying of events that are important in rural areas such as people coming onto the property, monitoring a barn for wild animals getting in, monitoring outbuildings like a shop, sound events etc. Do any of you chaps live rural and can suggest what your using? I'd prefer opensource and free or at least cheap as in a one time sub. I really didn't want to get into a ongoing monthly fee. Something that's easy to setup and picks up the cameras without too much fuss. Face recognition would be nice so I only get alerts on motion by people not recognized and in the home it would be nice if it recognized dogs/cats so I don't get a lot of alerts for this. Also a home mode or whatever so I can tell it to turn off alerts when were home for zones located inside the house. I'm a newbie on this so I'm just spitballing what I might like if it's available. Anybody rural might understand.
​
I've been looking at the following:
​

1. zoneminder *seems to be really antiquated.
2. xprotect free *wish it had a few more cameras.
3. frigate *seems to be missing a decent ui and app
4. shinobi *seems promising but seems like it has a ongoing fee and no app yet.
5. blueiris
6. bluecherry

I'll be running this on a I5/7 and I generally use linux and linux containers but can use windows on proxmox...really hate windows. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I’ve spent some time today looking up pc components and what they do and the differences between them. And I’ve been wanting to build my own PC for a while now. I’d like to have something that can run games like Genshin, sims 4, minecraft, etc, so nothing fancy. I’d like for it to be as cheap as possible and can run the games mentioned or similar games in terms of graphics (I’ll probs start playing more games since I’ll have access to better graphics and storage and won’t rely on my phone anymore) can someone list a few components that would die these requirements? I’m not sure where to even start tbh. If you prefer to pm me that’s fine too I just want some help pls

Hello all,
I really want to get back into riding. It has been a long while since I've ridden and I'd like to get opinions on if I should have my bike tuned up or just get a new one.
The details:

• The bike is a Schwinn Ranger mountain bike, so definitely not anything fancy or expensive
• I think I got it in 2015? It hasn't been ridden all that much but I was going on short rides a few days a week up until fall 2020
• It's been in storage since October 2020. And I mean in a literal storage unit. First a nice indoor climate controlled one, but since April 2021 it's been in a small outdoor unit.
• definitely has flat tires, I'm unsure of the condition of anything else
• I wouldn't be commuting or going on long rides, just 30-60 mins in the mornings
• I don't have a huge budget

Should I hang on to the bike and just take it to a shop to get it tuned up? I'm worried the tune up might be more than the bike is worth, but are Schwinn's good even though they're cheap? Should I hold on to it? I'll be honest if I replace it it's probably going to be with another Walmart Schwinn or Huffy in the $100 range.
Thank you!

Hello all,
I really want to get back into riding. It has been a long while since I've ridden and I'd like to get opinions on if I should have my bike tuned up or just get a new one.
The details:

• The bike is a Schwinn Ranger mountain bike, so definitely not anything fancy or expensive
• I think I got it in 2015? It hasn't been ridden all that much but I was going on short rides a few days a week up until fall 2020
• It's been in storage since October 2020. And I mean in a literal storage unit. First a nice indoor climate controlled one, but since April 2021 it's been in a small outdoor unit.
• definitely has flat tires, I'm unsure of the condition of anything else
• I wouldn't be commuting or going on long rides, just 30-60 minute joy rides some mornings
• I don't have a huge budget

Should I hang on to the bike and just take it to a shop to get it tuned up? I'm worried the tune up might be more than the bike is worth, but are Schwinn's good even though they're cheap? Should I hold on to it? I'll be honest if I replace it it's probably going to be with another Walmart Schwinn or Huffy in the $100 range.
Thank you!

Hello all,
I really want to get back into riding. It has been a long while since I've ridden and I'd like to get opinions on if I should have my bike tuned up or just get a new one.
The details:

• The bike is a Schwinn Ranger mountain bike, so definitely not anything fancy or expensive
• I think I got it in 2015? It hasn't been ridden all that much but I was going on short rides a few days a week up until fall 2020
• It's been in storage since October 2020. And I mean in a literal storage unit. First a nice indoor climate controlled one, but since April 2021 it's been in a small outdoor unit.
• definitely has flat tires, I'm unsure of the condition of anything else
• I wouldn't be commuting or going on long rides, just 30-60 mins in the mornings
• I don't have a huge budget

Should I hang on to the bike and just take it to a shop to get it tuned up? I'm worried the tune up might be more than the bike is worth, but are Schwinn's good even though they're cheap? Should I hold on to it? I'll be honest if I replace it it's probably going to be with another Walmart Schwinn or Huffy in the $100 range.
Thank you!

Hey all! I’ve been going at this low-UPF thing now for a short while, and I thought I might share some ideas of items that have helped me immensely if you’re just starting out. These are just what work for me, so take everything with a pinch of salt!
1. A Freezer and Freezer Bags
This is probably the most important thing when it comes to actually being able to eat low-UPF while juggling work/school/life. Of course, almost everyone has a freezer, but keeping it in order and stocked with batch cooked meals removes the need for either constant cooking or the kind of preservatives found in UPF which allow the convenience to which we have become accustomed. I have a tiny freezer, so freezer bags have been much better for me than Tupperware at maximising space. If you’re eating low-UPF you’re likely using less plastic anyway, so don’t worry about it too much.
2. Good fridge storage
You’re going to be buying a bunch more fresh fruit and veg, as well as other fresh produce. Storing this well will elongate its life in your fridge, reducing both food waste and cost. Try storing food in containers with kitchen paper and a little water, which can keep food from drying out. This works particularly well for herbs. I like the IKEA 365 range as it’s versatile and will always be available if I need replacements.
3. A good flatbread recipe
I do buy and freeze a loaf of fresh bread from GAIL’s (UK non-UPF bakery) which lasts me about a month honestly. But I’m making flatbreads once a week at least. They’re delicious, they’re filling, they’re hard to find without UPF ingredients, they’re easy, they freeze well, and they make using leftovers easy as they work as wraps. Truly learning to make flatbreads has added value to my life. My husband loves them!
4. A stocked spice cabinet
A LOT of shop-bought sauces and condiments contain UPF. Pre-made marinades and stir-fry sauces are really hard to find too. I’ve been making my own dressings and marinades a BUNCH! Having adequate, delicious spices to hand has been amazingly important. My favourites for a quick easy meal are almost all Middle Eastern: I just find they can make any veg or meat or leftover rice taste good, especially with a little yoghurt and some parsley/mint thrown in. Ras El Hanout, Za’atar, sumac, Baharat, Shwarma spice mix, etc. Go to Indian/Middle Eastern shops to get these at reasonable prices. I mount my spices to the wall which helps with accessibility.
5. A well laid-out kitchen
This seems obvious, but you’re just not going to want to cook in a messy, confused, cluttered kitchen. Try to eradicate gadgets and utensils you just don’t use. Eating low-UPF means a loss of convenience, so you want to make cooking as convenient and easy as possible. Get a dishwasher if you can - you’re going to have more washing up than before. As I said, I mount my spices to the wall and keep NOVA 2 ingredients closely at hand and organised so that I can just cobble something together in 15/20 minutes.
6 - bags of snacks ready to go
For me, this means I keep a few freezer bags of cubed cheese, apple or pear slices and non-UPF crackers in the fridge and just throw one in my bag when I’m heading out. This means I have something to snack on and don’t have to resort to UPF snack options. Other great options are fruit leather (Bear brand in the UK - meant for kids but delightful and compact), nuts, berries, carrots and hummus, chocolate covered raisins/cranberries, veg crisps, etc. just keep them ready to go or you will find yourself hungry or munching on UPF crisps or something.
7 - cordials
One of the hardest things when eating low-UPF is drinks. I was so used to drinking diet sodas it was unreal. Having to suddenly stop and drink just water was sad. I keep a good amount of fresh cordials in my cupboard and add them to soda-stream water. You can also freeze lemon/mint/cordials in ice cubes which I’m told helps. I’m drinking more water than I ever did but it helps to be able to change it up.
8 - tinned fresh foods
Self explanatory really. It’s quick, easy, often has higher nutrient content to the fresh stuff, and allows quick food prep. They shouldn’t contain anything but fresh produce. Tinned tomatoes/passata are a must, and legumes like chickpeas etc are so helpful. Also great for making fresh hummus easily. I adore tinned fish. Cheap, delicious, and non-UPF. Check out cannedsardines for inspo.
9- Air Fryer
Not to be an air-fryer evangelist, but air fryers are fantastic. You can whip up crispy chips or chicken wings in a few minutes so no need for pre-made stuff. Really replaces the convenience that UPF offers. My favourites are crispy sweet potato bites, salmon bits, halloumi bites, potatoes in general, hard boiled eggs (!). I bought mine for £80 and it’s already paid for itself in reduced energy bills from oven usage.
10 - the right mentality
You’re probably not going to be able to 100% eradicate UPF from your diet if you have things to do other than cook, clean up and cook again. That’s ok. Things happen. Birthdays happen. Weddings happen. Nights out happen. Chocolate boxes at your gran’s. A drizzle of sriacha at a restaurant. A hangover. A summer’s day when you just need an ice cream.
UPF is bad for us all and it’s bad on a population level. It’s the single greatest factor contributing to obesity as far as I can tell. We have to be pushing for change and better labelling and policy and education and all the rest of it. But we live in a UPF world. It’s just not tenable for most of us to completely eradicate it. We CAN change our pattern of eating - the 95% of what we take in, to be low-UPF. I’ve done that, and I’m much better off for it. I’ve lost 30lbs without even trying, I have more energy and my relationship with food has never been better. I love cooking, I love eating, I love food and I just want to celebrate it more and love it for what it actually is - not imitation versions sold to me my multi-nationals. I also know I’m not going to be perfect, and that’s OK too. I want to live and eat with joy and freedom too, and I don’t want orthorexia or worse. Be kind to yourself!
I hope my tips help someone. I really have found eating this way to make so much sense to me. I hope it brings you the same joy too.
Images of some things in my kitchen for your possible interest

Whenever I visit someone's home or apartment in America, I see very little in the way of shelves or other kinds of storage. They often have things on the floor, or in a few baskets or boxes on the floor. Books will be in a milk crate or just in a stack on the table. If these become full, they'll say that they have too many things, and get rid of them, when they actually have lots of wall space for some shelves! They seem to prefer a room to be almost bare except for a few things which they're currently using, and the rooms all look the same, with beige drywall and grey carpet or vinyl flooring. The kids cry because the toys are sold off because "they didn't play with them everyday," when the child actually has a room which is almost empty. One person didn't have a pantry in his kitchen and instead of building one, he piled boxes of cereal in his coat closet?! That's another thing which I get, stockpiling boxes and boxes of cheap processed grain foodstuffs, but that's another topic. Anyway, I've asked some about why their home is like this, and they say something like "minimalism" or even that it's impossible to get furniture?! Like that there are no stores and the only way to get it is second-hand. I just ordered it when I moved in to my own place, so I don't understand.
Edit:
So I make a post asking about reasons for stereotypical behavior, and then several people who can't understand the idea of statistics and averages then respond to say, "but not all Americans."

Hi there,
New to builds and wanted to do a custom build, but was having hard time using part picker to come up with a custom build that is as good as or better than this Costco prebuild (https://www.costco.com/ibuypower-slatemri7n3601-gaming-desktop---13th-gen-intel-core-i7-13700f----geforce-rtx-3060---windows-11.product.4000139335.html). My budget is $1100 and since this is my first gaming PC, the build must include Windows 11, a cheap keyboard, and a cheap mouse.
My use case will be to play online games at the mid - high range of the settings. Currently I am interested in playing Diablo IV and Elden Ring.
Targeting the following HIGH requirements for D4:

• OS: 64-bit Windows® 10 version 1909 or newer
• Processor: Intel® Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen™ 2700X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce® RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon™ RX 5700 XTDirectX®: Version 12
• Storage: SSD with 90 GB available space
• Internet: Broadband Connection

I currently own a 27" 4k monitor, but I don't plan to play on 4k (I know its not ideal, but can't afford a new monitor right now and I also use this monitor for work). Probably play on 1440 or 1080p depending on what looks better on the monitors I have.
TLDR: Should I just buy the Costco prebuild? I hope not, but like I said, I was having a hard time beating the price with custom parts. Thanks in advance!

1. What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games (ex: resolution, FPS, settings) or programs you will be using.

Will be using for streaming/gaming simultaneously as well as for content VOD editing hosting a private cloud in order for team members to upload.
I am looking for a baseline to start, I can wait for sales or for soon to release items as well.

2. What is your maximum PRE-TAX budget before rebates and shipping?

I am really hoping to keep all in around the =>$2000 mark and can get the pretty premium stuff down the line.

3. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

I am looking for starter build ideas as I am looking to start my project with my friends as soon as possible.

4. What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ex: toweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

All PC internals Tower I have 1 monitor for Discord, gaming one would be nice Need Recommended webcam and mic for streaming

5. If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? How old are they? Brands and models are appreciated.

Have Asus IPS monitor RK SINK 87G keyboard Reddragon blue switch keyboard Microsoft arc mouse

6. Will you be overclocking (ex: CPU/GPU/RAM)? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line?

Likely not

7. Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, VR, VirtualLink, tensor cores, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

SSD, Wifi/Bluetooth I need a large amount of storage as I will also be doing the editing and hosting a cloud for my teammates to upload their videos to.

8. Do you have any specific case preferences (ex: mITX/mATX/mid-towefull-tower sizes, styles, colours, window or not, LED lighting, etc.), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

No preferences as my build will likely have it mounted out of site...just not ugly/cheap looking preferably.

9. Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? Note: some post-secondary students can get Windows 10 for free.

No

10. Will you be upgrading this PC in the future (ie: will you swap out better parts later on or will you build an entirely new tower later)? If so, when?

I will regularly upgrade likely GPU, replace memory or add space, etc...standard upgrades every few years.

11. Do you have a brand preference? (ex: AMD/Intel for CPUs, AMD/NVIDIA for video cards, etc)

AMD GPU I still think AMD may be pulling a lot of punches in their new series cards.

12. What are the specs of your old PC / laptop? Do you want to see if it can be upgraded instead? If so, paste its build from PCPartPicker here.

n/a

13. Extra info or particulars:

As stated, I would like to use this for streaming/gaming simultaneously. I will also be hosting a cloud and be doing the VOD editing for my team.
I understand for streaming if it is not in 2k/4k no one will watch so I understand that cost comes into play if I need to save to push budget.
Games I will be playing likely: - Pixel remasters - Streaming from PS5 for FF16 - Gachas - Dark and Darker (hopefully)
I will be playing JRPGs/Gachas but also personally like to play Souls series, VR link would be cool to play with for Skyrim and all that, etc.

I’ve seen bodies mashed, crushed, dismembered, stuffed into suitcases, blackened like meat on a grill, floating, bloating, with flies swarming their flesh and maggots wriggling out of their eyes. I have, in short, an intimacy with death.
But nothing prepared me for the horror in cabin 4044.
I stared at my own smoldering corpse, into the blackened sockets of my melted eyes, and ice raked my spine and splintered my bones, shivering all the way down to my frozen fingertips.
You knew this day would come, whispered a voice in my head. And then, as my nose wrinkled, Ugh, I smell like bacon.
Giggles. Oh dear. Not beneficial. Couldn’t I try to approach my death with some dignity? No? Well… fine. Ignoring my own bubbling hysteria, I held my napkin over my nostrils and leaned in. Cross-legged in a lotus position, hands cradled and thumbs touching, crispy me (hehe) held the pose of a meditating monk. From the liquor bottles scattered around the burnt wreckage as well as the pose, I’d started the fire myself. But what induced such madn—
Glowing white light suddenly emanated from the blackened sockets. I gasped, tumbling backwards over the coffee table.
When I sat up, the light was gone.
It did not reappear during the half hour I charged my phone, keeping one leery eye on my corpse while I used the ship’s spotty wifi for research.
A Mysterious Contagion
According to Google, the worst cruise disaster in modern times involved the partial capsizing of a vessel after a captain’s error led to a rock tearing open the hull. Of the four thousand passengers, 34 drowned.
Another ship infamously dubbed the “poop cruise” had its engines catch fire, and passengers were stranded for nearly a week on board without electricity or toilet facilities.
But the Seastar was not destined for any ocean or weather related incident, but rather, a contagion. And while coronavirus and norovirus have both afflicted cruise ships in recent years, no virus—not even rabies—could explain the self-mutilation. To say nothing of the virulence. A mortality rate of 100%? That was unheard of in nature. There should be some survivors, if only by happenstance.
Or is it because…
A terrible chill spread up the flesh of my arms, and a thought lodged like an ice pick in my skull: What if the doom of the Azure Seastar isn’t happenstance—but deliberate? Are there no survivors because someone doesn’t want there to be?
Numb at the implication, I set down my phone. But how? Why? A thousand passengers and crew… If there was someone planning such a disaster, how would I identify them? And why would anyone commit such an atrocity? My gut tightened, and I got up and ventured out to the upper decks.
Deck 9
Cold. Cold. Cold. The chill in my bones deepened with each hand I brushed. Passengers glared as I fumbled around, dismissing me as either blind or mentally feeble. The blindness was somewhat accurate—I couldn’t see under the electric lighting in the swanky interior, since my eyes were seeing six days in the future, when the Seastar would be plunged into blackout. I depended on my phone’s feeble flashlight as I navigated the sea of guests around the bar and lounge areas. But no matter how many arms and hands I bumbled into—COLD!
With no accidental survivors, I was becoming more and more convinced the Seastar’s doom must be deliberate, but I was still very much in the dark—literally and figuratively—about why.
The most useful discovery of the evening came after my collision with a heavyset older man whose drink I spilled. Noticing me sweeping around my phone’s pitiful beam and assuming I’d lost something, he offered to lend me a more powerful flashlight from his cabin.
“It’s one of those high powered ones if you want it.” He smiled, and I stared, every hair on my neck standing on end.
“Uh… Something on my face?” His smile turned into a confused frown under my phone’s light.
“N-no. Yes, a flashlight would be very helpful, thank you.”
“This way. Name’s John, by the way.” His grin returned.
Oh God—I’d recognized him. Glass chewing man. He had a name now.
I am ashamed to admit that I tried not to speak to him too much on the way to his cabin, despite his doing me a kindness. It’s so much harder to face death with names and histories attached. I remained standing outside his cabin door, looking incredibly guilty as he emerged and set into my hand the flashlight. When I turned it on, it sent a floodlight straight down the corridor one end to the other. In addition to this useful tool, the encounter brought a critical insight.
His clothes. Glass chewing involved a different outfit. So, the catastrophe would not strike tonight.
Pool deck
After brushing roughly a billion COLD hands, as the overnight crowd began thinning, I took myself out to a lounger (being unwilling to overnight in my cabin wreathed in the fumes of my own chargrilled corpse).
Voices woke me in the dead of night.
The moon and stars offered the only illumination over the pitch sea, and I shambled groggily to the rail. It struck me that the wind had died—the Seastar was stationary.
Out on the pale peaks of waves, a rescue craft bobbed up and down.
“Looks like some idiot went overboard,” complained a voice behind me.
A cluster of passengers had gathered. One—with the authority of an experienced cruiser—mentioned the possibility of a suicide jumper. “It shouldn’t affect our itinerary much,” declared the man. “These things happen at sea, you know. After the rescue, he or she—let’s call them Passenger X—will be taken to the infirmary and monitored by security…”
I didn’t hear the rest of his words, because I was too busy smacking my forehead as I burst, “The INFIRMARY!” Good fucking gracious, was my brain already barbecue? I suspected a contagion, yet hadn’t thought to search the infirmary? Snatching up my flashlight, I headed downstairs, but the lower decks were cordoned off.
A jovial crewman explained that passenger access was restricted during rescue operations.
“Also, it’s three in the morning,” he added, sipping coffee from a styrofoam cup. “The infirmary will open—I think around eight?”
“Which deck?”
“Deck two.” He gladly explained the layout when I asked. The lower decks also included crew quarters, a crew lounge, mess hall, the engine room, kitchens, food storage, the “highway” used for quickly trafficking trolleys from one end of the ship to the other, the infirmary, various machinery rooms, a brig, a morgue—“We mostly use it for like, chilling flowers and stuff like that though,” he added with a grin. There was also a third staircase near the stern of the ship—the aft stairwell—used regularly only by staff but opened to passengers in cases of emergency.
As he rattled off this list, I could feel myself plunging deeper into despair. This ship was so enormous, and so much of what lay below was off limits to passengers. Furthermore, there were no windows below! How was I going to make my way in the blackout? Even with John’s flashlight, the prospect was daunting.
But first things first, Cass, I told myself. The infirmary.
Infirmary
At 8am sharp I stepped into the infirmary. The waiting room was as ordinary as they come, complete with boring magazines and cheap office chairs and—because it was deep in the interior—pitch dark to my sleep-deprived eyes.
“Morning, Sweetie! How can I help you today?” The secretary at the front desk tipped her head toward me, revealing a glimpse of another face beneath my flashlight—mouth gaping and mangled, every tooth pulled out. Blissfully unaware that she was sharing her chair with her own corpse, the secretary smiled and gave me a clipboard of paperwork for check in.
While I filled out the forms by flashlight, footsteps shuffled near the desk, and the secretary struck up a conversation with someone I assumed was a nurse. My ears pricked when they gossiped about last night.
“… did you hear about the rescue? When they pulled him out of the water, he wasn’t breathing...”
I pretended to be engrossed in the forms.
“… As soon as they revived him, he started screaming and screaming.”
“Oh my god… seriously?”
“Yeah, and he was like, super aggressive. They had to sedate him.”
“Oh my god…”
“It’s really weird… they’re saying he might have come from another ship, and it might’ve been, like… days… that he was out on the water!”
So this Passenger X who was pulled in last night had just been drifting out on the ocean? He wasn’t a jumper? And he was “screaming and screaming”—like, perhaps, someone maddened? I was about to abandon my forms and search for this Passenger X when the secretary all but gave me a heart attack by materializing in front of me out of the dark. She took the paperwork and informed me the nurse was ready. I was directed to a small examination room—one of three, I noted as I swept my beam around the infirmary. Examining tables, chairs, computers. No sign of any screaming passenger. Where would they have brought him?
The nurse, a young woman in a hijab, asked me the typical questions, typing my responses into a computer with a cracked, dead screen.
“Is he all right? The man who was rescued?” I asked. “Was he drifting long?”
She responded pertly, “We’re still trying to ascertain. But don’t worry, he’s being helped—um….” Her brow scrunched as she shone a light into each of my eyes.
Of course. I forgot to warn her.
“That’s so strange…” she murmured. “Are you wearing contact lenses?”
“No. My eyes are very black. Even under a flashlight they don’t reflect any light. They’ve been that way since I was four years old. I was dead for nearly an hour from drowning, but revived, and everything came back normal except for my eyes.” I’d always believed my horrific visions were the result of my near-death experience, as if I wasn’t supposed to come back, and brought a little bit of death with me, just in my eyes.
“Wow! What a wild story!” The nurse exclaimed.
“You have no idea,” I replied, looking at her corpse peering out at me from under the examination table, all jammed around the base.
A knock on the door cut our exam short before I could warn her (not that it would make any difference). She asked me to wait for a few moments and stepped out.
When she did not immediately return, I slipped away in search of Passenger X.
Highway
The moment I stepped out of the infirmary and away from the nearby elevator lounge, it became evident I’d left the passenger areas. All veneer of luxury was stripped away, leaving bare walls interrupted only by occasional stacks of boxes. The flashlight’s wide beam swept along the massive corridor that I was guessing was the “highway.” My footsteps resounded on concrete. Nothing but sterile, windowless white—or at least it had been white, once.
I tried not to look too closely at the crimson streaking the walls or the corpses I stepped over. The origin of the contagion was definitely down here. Even through the napkin held over my nose, I could taste death here—
Hello? What was this?
In one section of the corridor, the walls and floor had rippled. Almost as if a shockwave had left indentations, bending and shattering the concrete. But what could have done that?
The lights flickered.
I froze.
It wasn’t my flashlight’s beam. That remained steady. The lights—the overhead lights—flickered, casting the hall in blinking flashes of crimson streaks and white walls.
Then the lights came on.
All the bodies vanished.
“Oh,” I said, blinking against the sudden brightness. “Oh.” The smell was gone, too. No scent of death. Though there was something else. A strangely metallic, tangy smell. Like lightning and copper.
I shut off my flashlight, turning a slow circle as I gawked at the stark white walls, the flat gray floor, the dazzling fluorescent lighting so bright it almost blinded me. It struck me that I was seeing the ship right now. Not six days in the future, but NOW, before the blackout, before the outbreak. The same whitewashed hallway as all the other passengers saw.
Why? What had happened to my vision? Had I lost my special sight? Or—
Someone was standing in the corridor.
I froze.
The hairs on my neck prickled, and a knot of dread twisted my gut.
The man stood halfway down the highway, slouched and bedraggled. His clothes were crushed and faded, hanging off him like from hangers of bone. His limp hair draped in messy curls around his unshaven face. And his eyes—those eyes! The same eyes I’d seen looking at me from the deep end of a public swimming pool when I was just a child. The same eyes I’d seen staring emptily from John’s glass-chewing corpse, and from the mangled nurse under the table. All the dead have the exact same look in their eyes. One glance at those pale blue orbs—
This man was dead. I was certain of it.
Yet he was standing.
“You,” I said. “You… are you the passenger who—”
The dead man’s lips spread, baring teeth in what might have been a sick imitation of a grin, or a grimace.
“HEY!!!”
I jumped as a voice called out behind me.
An officer in a security uniform strode out from an unmarked door, eyes on the dead man. The security officer said, “Ma’am, stay back.” His gaze never left the dead man. “Sir, if you could please come with me—”
“No!” I cried. “Don’t!”
But the security officer was already marching forward, and the dead man’s hands lifted in stiff parody of surrender. He turned and began shuffling away under the officer’s escort. And then—his teeth bared. Suddenly the dead man had his arm around the officer, mouth clamping on his ear as the officer howled. He was eating him—no, tongue wriggling—licking him?
—whispering?
The officer shoved the dead man aside and collapsed against the wall. I rushed forward, but skidded to a halt as the dead man’s grinning face turned toward me. Terror seized me at the sudden revelation that I was next. He took a wobbly step—
The lights shut off.
Swearing, I fumbled for my flashlight. Switched on the beam. Shrieked when it fell across a hand—but it was just the security officer reaching for me, asking, “Hey—hey, are you all right, Ma’am?” He winced, rubbing at his ear like a dog bothered by a whistle only it could hear. Then he said into his phone, “He assaulted me and got away. I’ve got another passenger here—”
The stench wafted back. Gore once again splattered the walls. I was once more seeing six days into the future, and clapped my napkin to my mouth to stop myself from retching at the return of the smell. But I wasn’t really thinking about all that.
No, because my heart slammed my ribs and my breath ripped ragged from my throat, and every hair stood on end as if I’d been struck by lightning. Whatever it was the crew of the Seastar had hauled from the ocean, it certainly hadn’t been living when they “rescued” it. And the proof was in those overhead lights. Merely being in proximity to Passenger X, my vision had been pulled into the present. Like he was a magnet drawing my sight into his field. But if death was the thing my black, lightless eyes usually glimpsed, then what exactly was Passenger X? And if he could affect my vision, not to mention animating a dead man’s corpse… how was I going to have any hope of stopping him?
[Part 1] [Part 2]

I've been potentially thinking about upgrading to a 6950 XT to finalise the upgrades I'll need for the next few years, but I'm really wanting to avoid having to pick up a new PSU. I have a Cooler Master V750 SFX Gold (my case only supports SFX), so picking up an 850W or higher is not going to be cheap. I've done a little bit of digging online, including a PSU calculator and signs point to yes, but it would be nice to get some feedback from others. I've supplied my parts list below:
- CPU: Intel Core i5 12600K - RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4x 8GB) 3200MHz - CPU Cooler: Corsair iCUE H100i - Motherboard: NZXT N7 Z690 - Storage: 2x Sandisk SSDs, 1x Toshiba 5.4K HDD - Fans: 5x Corsair iCUE 120mm (2x included with the H100i) - Peripherals: Logitech G203 Mouse, ASUS ROG STRIX Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe (2.4GHz dongle), Logitech Streamcam, Audio Technica ATR2500X, I sometimes also charge my headphones and my keyboard as well, so 2 more USB 2.0 ports are used.
This isn't a workstation PC, the most I'll ever run is a server or some VMs, and this isn't often so its primarily for gaming. Hope all of this helps and someone can give me an idea of whether this will actually work. Cheers!

In our shop we offer the usual selection of amsec and gardall Home and Office style safes, but we are no means a safe specific or specialized shop, we have a company that we work with often that is more of a safe shop, but we like to keep a selection of basic safes. Michigan (where we are) just passed safe storage laws for firearms. And I am looking for suggestions on some pistol type nightstand "safes/lockboxes".
I have and carry the Amsec handgun safes, and try to point people in those directions, but some people just want an inexpensive lockbox that keeps the gun harder to get from kids and such, and something that is a bit less expensive.
I'm looking for suggestions on products that maybe you guns keep as kind of budget friendly alternatives that we can offer customers just looking for something simple cheap and provides the minimum security from kids getting hands on a pistol.
Alit of people come in look at our options and like the Amsec, but won't buy because it is "more than they need" as far as security and price.
Any suggestions?

I need a cheap laptop for video editing So battery display sound and gpu are irrelevant Ideally all I need is a good cpu a lot of ram and storage(ssd not necessary I don’t mind if it’s bulky or heavy) does anyone know a laptop like this

Hey. I have an old Amiga 1200 with an internal hdd that hasn't been touched in atleast 10 years. i do not know the exact status of it and will check it thoroughly before it is getting connected to power again. that includes powersupply of course.
i kinda would like to prop it up next to one of my 90'ies synths that aren't brilliant in the sequencing. i recon an amiga with octamed and a midi interface would be smashing here. any tips on going about that?
I would like to be able to use a modern monitor and have seen that there are a couple of options to hot it up but i'm not sure of current availability and budget constraints. i'm not made of money. storage should be changed from the spinning hdd of course and i remember my mate used a CF-card back in the day.. kinda cool and there seems to be some fairly cheap microsd adapters that are CF in the other end..
​
so what do you think i should do? try to fix this or sell it? i'm kinda thinking of just leaving it in the box for another 15 years or so..

Need a secondary drive for extra storage. Sata M.2 seems to be very cheap.

Some of the context:

• I never build a NAS server before.
• My friend asking me if I want a NUC N6000 minipc, its tempting.
• I have a media servemanager setup (plex/jellyfin/**arqbit) in my pc (linux/arch), attaching with 8TB 3.5 hdd.
• My TV in the living room can connect with media server via plex client (samsung one)

I was think to use this mini PC to mange those work above, instead of my PC.
I have problem is that, to connect the minipc with the storage drive, meaning I have to connect via a usb typeC with some sort of DAS interface connecting those 2 HDDs (maybe more in the future). I was lookup the wiki thread, most of the DAS is pre build and seem to cost quite a lot. I guess its costly because the ability of moving those storage arround need insurance. But to my I probably dont need it.
So my question are:

• Any clean/cheap way to buid a "box" to keep those HDD intact, connect them into on single usb type C, so that I can plug into my minipc, and mount them to use as normal.
• Is it safe to do it, how ppl normal solve this situation?
• If I keep those drive in my PC ( which is bad, because I could shut it down when I want to), does make it a network storage for minipc connect to main pc. Could do the job of managing those media. Is it crazy idea?

Thanks guys.

Trying to post again as I did the links wrong the first time.
When I searched “trailer” I only found individuals- this is an entire website. There is language that makes it seem legit. Prices are cheap but not crazy cheap. However it’s just odd. When I googled the address listed it comes up as a storage business- and the website says “storage facility” is where the trailers are, they are not a storefront to save money.
It’s odd but much of the language seems ok, like on the terms page. Here is the website: https:// www .equinationsky.us/?route=home
Here is the FAQ: https:// www .equinationsky.us/?route=FAQ
Here is “How to Order”: https:// www .equinationsky.us/?route=Ordering
I’m not trying to find a deal so much as the type of used trailer I want (horse trailer from 2010’s or so) is not a super common thing to be on the market. So that’s how I ended up there. If I need to add some screenshots, etc please let me know- the directions say for websites to give the web address.
Thanks!

Sysbench cpu single core rating is 3254. For reference, cheap (<10eur) hetzner x86 cloud server is about 1600, digitalocean 14eur premium-amd is 3700, and my local pc R9 5900X is 5400
Also, YABS output

# ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## # # Yet-Another-Bench-Script # # v2023-04-23 # # https://github.com/masonyet-another-bench-script # # ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## # Thu Jun 8 10:09:28 AM UTC 2023 ARM compatibility is considered *experimental* Basic System Information: --------------------------------- Uptime : 0 days, 0 hours, 2 minutes Processor : Neoverse-N1 CPU cores : 4 @ ??? MHz AES-NI : ✔ Enabled VM-x/AMD-V : ❌ Disabled RAM : 7.5 GiB Swap : 0.0 KiB Disk : 75.0 GiB Distro : Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS Kernel : 5.15.0-69-generic VM Type : KVM IPv4/IPv6 : ✔ Online / ✔ Online IPv6 Network Information: --------------------------------- ISP : Hetzner Online GmbH ASN : AS24940 Hetzner Online GmbH Host : Hetzner Location : Falkenstein, Saxony (SN) Country : Germany fio Disk Speed Tests (Mixed W 50/50): --------------------------------- Block Size 4k (IOPS) 64k (IOPS) ------ --- ---- ---- ---- Read 137.43 MB/s (34.3k) 1.07 GB/s (16.8k) Write 137.34 MB/s (34.3k) 1.11 GB/s (17.3k) Total 274.78 MB/s (68.6k) 2.18 GB/s (34.2k) Block Size 512k (IOPS) 1m (IOPS) ------ --- ---- ---- ---- Read 1.91 GB/s (3.7k) 1.92 GB/s (1.8k) Write 2.08 GB/s (4.0k) 2.14 GB/s (2.0k) Total 4.00 GB/s (7.8k) 4.06 GB/s (3.9k) iperf3 Network Speed Tests (IPv4): --------------------------------- Provider Location (Link) Send Speed Recv Speed Ping ----- ----- ---- ---- ---- Clouvider London, UK (10G) 5.49 Gbits/sec 8.30 Gbits/sec 20.9 ms Scaleway Paris, FR (10G) 6.22 Gbits/sec 8.51 Gbits/sec 24.6 ms NovoServe North Holland, NL (40G) 10.9 Gbits/sec 13.2 Gbits/sec 12.9 ms Uztelecom Tashkent, UZ (10G) 2.43 Gbits/sec 2.15 Gbits/sec 92.8 ms Clouvider NYC, NY, US (10G) 1.19 Gbits/sec 116 Mbits/sec 89.0 ms Clouvider Dallas, TX, US (10G) 1.38 Gbits/sec 1.45 Gbits/sec 124 ms Clouvider Los Angeles, CA, US (10G) 734 Mbits/sec 1.15 Gbits/sec 149 ms iperf3 Network Speed Tests (IPv6): --------------------------------- Provider Location (Link) Send Speed Recv Speed Ping ----- ----- ---- ---- ---- Clouvider London, UK (10G) 6.33 Gbits/sec 8.14 Gbits/sec 20.5 ms Scaleway Paris, FR (10G) 7.64 Gbits/sec 7.45 Gbits/sec 22.7 ms NovoServe North Holland, NL (40G) 10.0 Gbits/sec 14.5 Gbits/sec 12.7 ms Uztelecom Tashkent, UZ (10G) 2.22 Gbits/sec 2.01 Gbits/sec 92.6 ms Clouvider NYC, NY, US (10G) 1.20 Gbits/sec 56.9 Mbits/sec 86.4 ms Clouvider Dallas, TX, US (10G) 1.29 Gbits/sec 1.44 Gbits/sec 123 ms Clouvider Los Angeles, CA, US (10G) 928 Mbits/sec 1.19 Gbits/sec 149 ms Geekbench 6 Benchmark Test: --------------------------------- Test Value Single Core 1059 Multi Core 3404 Full Test https://browser.geekbench.com/v6/cpu/1521109 YABS completed in 12 min 38 sec 

All that for 7.2 eur / month. 4 vcores, 8g ram, 80g storage, 20tb traffic (outg). It looks really good, but I'm not quite sure why, and how. Has anyone here been running stuff on those servers?

>**What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.*\*
Need a budget PC that can run VR on Unity and can use Meta Quest link and will also be using the PC for gaming.
>**What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?*\*
$1200 but can go up to $1400 if its worth it. (Edited)
>**When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.*\*
ASAP, by the weekend
>**What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc\)*\*
Will need pretty much everything (toweos/monitokeyboard/mouse). I am fine with a cheap mouse and keyboard for now.
>**Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?*\*
US Illinois. I have access to a Microcenter and plan on buying all parts there.
>**If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.*\*
Not reusing parts.
>**Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?*\*
No
>**Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)*\*
Not sure, but whatever is needed so I can run VR on unity.
>**Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?*\*
Mid-tower or Full-tower.
>**Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?*\*
Yes, will need a copy included
>**Extra info or particulars:*\*
https://www.meta.com/help/quest/articles/headsets-and-accessories/oculus-link/meta-quest-link-compatibility/?utm_source=forum.unity.com&utm_medium=oculusredirect
Here's a link to see what is the minimum requirements to use Meta Quest link but will want a GPU that is newer.