• Dawn FM (for like 10 seconds)
• Take My Breath
• Sacrifice
• How Do I Make You Love Me?
• Can’t Feel My Face
• Lost in the Fire
• Hurricane
• The Hills
• Often
• Crew Love
• Starboy
• House of Balloons
• Heartless
• Low Life
• Reminder
• Party Monster
• Faith
• After Hours
• Out of Time
• I Feel it Coming
• Die For You
• Is There Someone Else?
• I Was Never There
• Wicked Games
• Call Out My Name
• The Morning
• Save Your Tears
• Less Than Zero
• Blinding Lights
• Double Fantasy
• Creepin’
• Popular

We’re getting a houseplant for my teacher, who means a lot to me. She used to have a class pet, so we want to give her a new “pet” i.e. a plant.
To be honest, I doubt that she will want to care for it beyond throwing water on it once a week (which students can take care of). The window is south/west facing. Light isn’t as important because she keeps the windows open, I would say medium light at best.
We need a nonvenomous, low-care plant and we will take any and all suggestions!!
Im leaning towards a snake plant or a burro’s tail BUT i will take any and all suggestions!! Also if you are a teacher, what is a gift you would like?

Evening LegalAdvice!
Hope some people can offer their interpretation and opinions on the solar panel protections of home owners in Florida HOAs.
Initial Background:
I put in an HOA ARC request for solar panels in my HOA. The request came back denied as “solar panels are not allowed to face the street.”
I am already under contract for the solar panels and the company assures me the HOA can do no such thing. The system covers all 4 sides of my roof in order to obtain a 100% offset, and removing or moving any such panels will be detrimental to the performance of the system.
Current law:
Please see Florida Statute 163.04, http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0100-0199/0163/Sections/0163.04.html
I pulled some info out of it:
"A deed restriction, covenant, declaration, or similar binding agreement may not prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting solar collectors, clotheslines, or other energy devices based on renewable resources from being installed on buildings erected on the lots or parcels covered by the deed restriction, covenant, declaration, or binding agreement"
"Such entity may determine the specific location where solar collectors may be installed on the roof within an orientation to the south or within 45° east or west of due south if such determination does not impair the effective operation of the solar collectors."
Current ARC Guidelines:
SOLAR PANELS
The location and design details for solar collectors shall be submitted to the Architectural Review Committee. A solar collect shall not be installed on any lot unless it is an integral and harmonious part of the architectural design of a roof structure. Solar collectors shall be located on a roof exposure shielded from view
from the street, adjoining lots and Common Areas to the maximum extent possible. Solar collectors shall be flush mounted and installed parallel to the plane of the roof. Under no circumstance may solar collectors extend above the ridgeline of a roof.
Initial thoughts:
As it stands, the arc guidelines are very generic and mention nothing about facing a street, but that it should be shielded from the street to the maximum extent possible. Nothing explicitly about the street. Additionally, some of the homes in the community (half) have their main roof line facing the street (south), so banning such placement on the south roof directly goes against Statute 163.04. My thoughts are this is grounds alone that the “no street placement” is an incorrect ruling regardless of the direction it faces on some homes. Also, some homes face south and must be required to allow panels on the south side, so the point is moot.
Possible interpretations of law:
As it states that an entity may determine the location IF it does not affect performance, we know they have some say. However, I do believe that because moving a panel reduces performance then it is covered. However, one could possibly make the argument that so such panels needed to exist in the original design as “You do not need 100% offset” though I think that is a weak argument.
Two asks!

1. Do you believe my interpretation that I am protected due to a reduced performance is correct?
2. If my appeal denies, and I am correct with #1 (I have a leg to stand on) would the next move to be to sue/cease and desist the decision, or move forward with the install and sue after the install if the HOA comes after me?

Thanks all!

• Dawn FM (for like 10 seconds)
• Take My Breath
• Sacrifice
• How Do I Make You Love Me?
• Can’t Feel My Face
• Lost in the Fire
• Hurricane
• The Hills
• Often
• Crew Love
• Starboy
• House of Balloons
• Heartless
• Low Life
• Reminder
• Party Monster
• Faith
• After Hours
• Out of Time
• I Feel it Coming
• Die For You
• Is There Someone Else?
• I Was Never There
• Wicked Games
• Call Out My Name
• The Morning
• Save Your Tears
• Less Than Zero
• Blinding Lights

Dawn FM
Take My Breath
Sacrifice
How Do I Make You Love Me
Can't Feel My Face
Lost in The Fire
Hurricane
The Hills
Often
Crew Love
Starboy
House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls
Heartless
Low life
Reminder
Party Monster
Faith
After Hours
Out of Time
I Feel it Coming
Die For You
Is There Someone Else
I Was Never There
Wicked Games
Call Out My Name
The Morning
Save Your Tears
Less Than Zero
Blinding Lights
Double Fantasy
Creepin'
Popular
​

I'm choosing a bicycle to take me across the USA on the Great American Rail Trail (might change the route a bit). I will be 60/40 road/rail trails.
I generally pack very light (no panniers) and am choosing between their three gravel models. On a tight budget but willing to spend money if it means being more safe. I've already attempted this route twice and had major crashes on turns/curves each time.
I've also seen some complaints of the brakes being awful -- does anyone have experiences with that or are they fine?
Which of these bikes should I get?
Pros/cons:
Dropbar X $700

• cheapest
• potentially too agressive geometry as it is road oriented
• worst brakes
• very light

Dropbar x Ambition $900 - better brakes? - more relaxed geometry than x
Dropbar Redwood $950 - 2.35 inch stock tires are way too slow probably and will need replacement - has high fork mounting capacity (3 eyelets for 70 lbs. The the other two can only handle water bottles as the carbon forks can only handle 3.5 lbs on each side)
My thoughts: I think realistically I am choosing between the X and the Ambition, they seem more suited for my needs. I am leaning towards the ambition becayse of the allegedly better brakes and more relaxed geometry. However, if I am going to have to do the compressionless brake housing anyway, I figure I might as well go with the X that is cheaper. My main question is how bad are the brakes and how agressive is the positioning on the X?

Name: Sadira Andersen
Age: 13 years old
Birthday: 30/5
Gender: Cisgender (She/Her)
Voice: Riley Andersen-Inside Out
Sexuality: Bisexual (She’s still not 100% sure about it)
Hometown: Buffalo, State of New York
Family:
Arielle Hart née Andersen (Mother)- Sadira shares a close and loving bond with her mother. Throughout the early years of Sadira's life, Arielle raised her single-handedly while juggling her responsibilities as a professor in Sociology. Sadira admires her mother's determination and strength in balancing work and raising her. Arielle's commitment to providing for their family, even during challenging times, has left a lasting impression on her. She deeply respects her mother and cherishes the sacrifices she made to ensure her well-being and happiness.
Morpheus (Father)- For Sadira, her father is a figure shrouded in mystery. She has never met him, and her knowledge about him is limited to what her mother and Greek mythology have revealed. Although she feels a sense of abandonment, Sadira acknowledges that she cannot possibly understand the responsibilities of a god. While his absence has left an emotional void, Sadira has learned to navigate life without his presence and focuses on the relationships she has in her immediate family.
Liam Hart (Stepfather)- Sadira's relationship with her stepfather has evolved into one of love and acceptance. Initially resistant to his presence, Sadira gradually opened up to Liam as they spent more time together. She appreciates Liam's genuine care and investment in her well-being. Over time, Sadira came to see him as a father, appreciating his support and guidance. The bond they share is built on trust and mutual respect, and Sadira feels grateful to have Liam as a significant presence in her life.
Oliver Hart (Stepbrother)- Sadira's relationship with her stepbrother has developed into a deep and affectionate sibling bond. Although there was skepticism during their initial meeting, their connection grew stronger as they spent more time together. Despite occasional disagreements, Sadira and Oliver have become close companions, supporting each other through life's ups and downs. Sadira values Oliver's presence as someone who understands her on a deeper level, making their relationship feel akin to that of biological siblings. They share a strong sense of camaraderie, and Sadira cherishes the moments they spend together.
Appearance Sadira Andersen stands at a petite height, around 5 feet tall, with a slender build that allows her to move with grace and agility. Her short wavy brown hair frames her face, with strands falling in gentle waves around her forehead and ears. She often styles her hair in a messy bun, secured with a few colorful hairpins or a soft headband. Sadira's hair has a natural shine to it, and she takes pride in keeping it well-maintained, despite its short length.
Her light green droopy eyes are a unique feature that captivate those who meet her. They hold a certain depth and reflect her thoughtful and introspective nature. When she's lost in her thoughts or daydreaming, her eyes seem to shimmer with a touch of enchantment. Sadira's tan skin suggests that she spends time outdoors, soaking up the sunlight during her stargazing sessions.
In terms of clothing style, Sadira prioritizes comfort above all else. She prefers loose-fitting shirts and sweaters made of soft, breathable fabrics. She often chooses earthy tones like muted greens, blues, and browns, although she occasionally adds a pop of color to her outfits with accessories or vibrant patterns. Her wardrobe consists of cozy cardigans, comfortable jeans or leggings, and a collection of well-worn sneakers and boots that have accompanied her on many adventures.
Personality Good Traits *Empathy: Sadira possesses a deep sense of empathy, allowing her to understand and connect with others on an emotional level. She can intuitively sense the feelings and struggles of those around her, offering comfort and support when needed.
*Active Listener: Sadira is a skilled listener, paying close attention to others' words, emotions, and body language. She creates a safe space for people to share their thoughts and concerns, making them feel heard and understood.
*Creativity: Sadira has a vivid imagination and a creative spirit. She uses her creativity to express herself through music, writing, and even in her doodles. Her imaginative nature adds a touch of magic to her life and allows her to think outside the box when problem-solving.
*Kindness: Kindness is at the core of Sadira's being. She genuinely cares for others and goes out of her way to help those in need. Her acts of kindness, whether big or small, have a significant impact on the people around her, fostering a sense of warmth and compassion.
*Observant: Sadira possesses a keen sense of observation, noticing details and nuances that others often overlook. Her ability to pick up on subtle cues and patterns allows her to offer insightful perspectives and understand situations from different angles.
Bad Traits *Procrastination: Sadira often finds herself falling into the trap of procrastination. Despite her awareness of its negative consequences, she struggles with initiating tasks and sometimes leaves things until the last moment, causing unnecessary stress and hindering her productivity.
*Low Self-Esteem: Sadira battles with low self-esteem, often doubting her abilities and feeling inadequate. Her perception of herself can undermine her confidence and prevent her from fully embracing her potential and pursuing her dreams.
*Overthinking: Sadira tends to overanalyze situations, often getting lost in her thoughts and worrying excessively. Her tendency to overthink can lead to indecisiveness and unnecessary stress, preventing her from fully enjoying the present moment.
*Overattachment: Sadira's intense emotional connection with the people she loves can make her overly attached and possessive. This flaw stems from her fear of abandonment and leads to a reluctance to let go, sometimes stifling personal growth and suffocating relationships.
*Impatience: While Sadira is patient in some aspects of her life, she can be impatient when it comes to waiting for results or when tasks do not align with her interests. This impatience can occasionally lead to frustration and hinder her ability to persevere through longer processes.
Hobbies: *Reading- For Sadira, reading has always been the way she travels to different worlds without needing to leave the comfort of her home. The fact that it also works wonders when she wants to escape from reality is a great plus.
*Playing the Violin- Since she started doing therapy as a child, Sadira has always tried to find anything that would help her manage her emotions better. Playing the violin is her way of doing that, to express her emotions without making them everyone’s problem.
*Stargazing- Sadira has always been admired by the beauty of a starry night sky, specially when there’s no artificial light around. The night sky is is so beautiful to her, that it never fails to put a smile on her face.
*Yoga- Though she has only been doing for a year now, Yoga has become an essential practice in Sadira's routine. Each morning, she engages in a calming yoga session, stretching her body and centering her mind, preparing her for the day ahead.
Powers Because Sadira has only just discovered her heritage, she’s not aware of most of her powers yet. The ones she’s aware of are marked with A (Aware) and the ones she’s not with NA (Not Aware)
Domain Powers *Drowsiness Aura-The ability to have an area of effect that makes others tired (body power, aura form of Drowsiness Inducement). [A] *Insomnia Inducement-The ability to prevent a target from sleeping (body power, inverse of Drowsiness Inducement). [NA] *Dream Messaging-The ability to communicate with others via their dreams (mental power, one-way).[A]
Godrent Minor Powers * Dream Manipulation (Oneirokinesis)-The ability to change someone's dreams (mental power). [NA] * Restful Sleep Inducement-The ability to grant someone a dreamless / quiet sleep (body power, specific version of Drowsiness Inducement).[A] * Dream Inducement-The ability to grant someone dreams (mental power, doubles as nightmare purification).[NA]
Godrent Major Power * Dream-Walking-The ability to enter the dreams of others (mental power). [NA]
Belongings *Sadira brought along some of her favourite books with her. She just can’t imagine herself not reading them for months on end.
*When he decided to take her to Camp Half-Blood, Liam gave Sadira a Celestial Bronze Dagger so she could defend also herself during the trip.
*Sadira also brought with her a handmade music box that Oliver made and gave to her as a birthday gift. The sound of their favourite song always works wonders to make her feel better.
Trivia *Sadira has a habit of losing track of time when she's engrossed in her favorite books, often finding herself staying up late into the night to finish "just one more chapter."
*She has a natural affinity for languages and enjoys learning new words and phrases from different cultures.
*Sadira has a secret talent for drawing. She often doodles in the margins of her notebooks, creating intricate patterns and designs inspired by her daydreams.
*Though she’ll never acknowledge it, Sadira is a hoarder. She has a huge collection of small, delicate trinkets and keepsakes that she just can’t throw away because they hold sentimental value for her, but she fails to realise, or maybe she doesn’t care, that having a hoarding habit is not healthy.
Backstory Sadira was born to Arielle Hart née Andersen and Morpheus, God of Dreams, in Buffalo, New York. Her mother, Arielle Hart née Andersen, was a professor of Sociology at a local university. Despite her demanding career, Arielle always made time for her daughter, instilling in Sadira a love for learning and an appreciation for the world around her. Their small apartment became a sanctuary of warmth and love amidst the challenges they faced.
The first dramatic change in Sadira’s life happened when she was six. One day, her mother came home with a man, who she introduced as her new boyfriend, Liam Hart, and his nine year old son, Oliver Hart. At first, Sadira was hostile towards this new man and child– why did they have to come along and take Arielle’s attention away from her? But she quickly warmed up on Liam (she was completely sold after the first time he made pancakes for her) and Oliver. And when Arielle and Liam got married a few years later, and moved Sadira was happy to have a father and an older brother, and they got really close as time went by.
Sadira had a pretty calm and normal childhood. It may have been because of Liam, who was protecting her behind the scenes, it may have been for other reasons, she had never had any monster attacks while growing up. And so, she was completely unaware of the world she belonged in.
But that came to an end a month after her 13th birthday, when strange things started to happen. It started with subtle signs, peculiar incidents that Sadira couldn't quite explain. Her friends began to experience unexplained drowsiness whenever she spoke to them, as if her presence invoked a profound sense of sleepiness. Later, she began having feeling of being constantly watched. The sensation followed her wherever she went, causing her to become increasingly paranoid. And , more recently, the world around her seemed to shift, and she caught glimpses of creatures straight out of mythology that shouldn't exist in the mortal realm. These encounters were unsettling for Sadira, to the point where she began genuinely questioning her own sanity, and decided to tell her family about it.
It was when she was on her way home from school that Sadira was suddenly attacked by a hellhound, an experience that could very well have been her last if it weren’t for the interference of Liam. As soon as Sadira was safe and sound, Arielle and Liam decided to tell her all of the truth about herself, and in a way, about Liam too. They revealed that everything she had read about Greek Mythology was real, that she was the child of a god , and that Liam himself was also a demigod, son of Apollo, which was the reason he could heal her so quickly. In less than an hour, Sadira found out what she was, who her father was, who her stepfather was, and, on top of all of that, she received the news that she would have to leave her home to go to Camp Half-Blood, a place where she could be safe from monsters and learn to defend herself before against them, and Liam would be the one to take her there. It was overwhelming for her, and she was scared and confused about everything. However, even if that was the case, had to admit to herself that she was somewhat excited. Yes, she knows that her life would be harder and almost constantly in danger, but for daydreamer and fantasy nerd like Sadira, it seemed like she had become the protagonist of her own fantasy novel. How could she not be even a little bit excited about that?
Now The journey to Camp Half-Blood was anything but peaceful. Monsters relentlessly pursued them, launching relentless attacks on the road. Sadira's heart raced as she fought for her survival alongside stepfather. Through a combination of sheer luck and Liam’s resourcefulness, they managed to fend off the monsters and continue their perilous journey.
When they finally arrived at Camp Half-Blood, with some minor injuries but nothing to worry about thanks to Liam, Sadira could finally take in the view of the place she would have to call home for a while. It was bigger and livelier than she expected, but she wasn’t really complaining. While Liam presented her to the Camp Directors, an image of what looked like sand started glowing above her head, which revealed her as a child of Morpheus, god of dreams. After that whole debacle and Liam unfortunately having to leave, Sadira was now wandering around the camp, a bag with some of her belongings on her shoulder, and absolutely clueless about where she was going. She was looking for the cabin she was going to stay in, but how was she supposed to find it if she didn’t even know where to look for it.
“This place is so much bigger from up close…”she sighed to herself “I’m starting to regret not having asked for a map or a guide…”
(OOC: Hello everyone! Sorry if the formatting on the post looks weird, I’m not very good at it. But anyways, I hope you have fun meeting Sadira! Have a nice day!)

Not sure why car manufacturers think it’s a good idea to put blinkers down that low. For me I’m programmed to look for blinkers that are in the same area as the brake lights and that’s where I look when I’m driving. So it’s just not natural for me to have to look that much further down and take my eyes off the road for distance viewing up ahead to see a blinker 🙄… am I just insane or does anyone else feel this way ?

I'm choosing a bicycle to take me across the USA on the Great American Rail Trail (might change the route a bit). I will be 60/40 road/rail trails.
I generally pack very light (no panniers) and am choosing between their three gravel models. On a tight budget but willing to spend money if it means being more safe. I've already attempted this route twice and had crashes on turns/curves each time.
I've also seen some complaints of the brakes being awful -- does anyone have experiences with that or are they fine?
Which of these bikes should I get?
Pros/cons:
Dropbar X $700 - cheapest - potentially too agressive geometry as it is road oriented - worst brakes - very light
Dropbar x Ambition $900 - better brakes? - chiller geometry than dropbar
Dropbar Redwood $950 - 2.35 inch stock tires are way too slow probably and will need replacement - has high fork mounting capacity (3 eyelets for 70 lbs. The the other two can only handle water bottles as the carbon forks can only handle 3.5 lbs on each side)

Two weeks ago, I spoke on the phone with Tom Ono, the manual writer for Heroes of Might and Magic III. As usual, Tom asked how things were going. I said things were good... then proceeded to whine and complain for the next five minutes (much to Tom's amusement).
When the conversation concluded, Tom said, "Don't complain too much. Some people would give their eyeteeth to be in the game industry." I responded, "Who are these people and why haven't they been beaten for their own good?"
My name is Gregory Fulton, game designer for Heroes of Might and Magic III (developed by New World Computing, published by 3DO). You may call me Greg. Like most game designers, I'm sure you'll find me a bitter and cynical man, aged beyond my years, full of sarcasm, and inexplicably drawn to the horrors of game production like a lobotomized moth to the "pretty" flame.
As I guide you through your weekly tour of my memories, I promise the recollected images will be truthful and sincere but written with a smirk and a wink.
Undoubtedly, we will interact with the following animals: artists, level builders, managers, producers, programmers, testers, and monkeys. To help ensure your safety, I request you fasten your seat belts, keep your hands to your sides at all times, and be sure to not make any quick and sudden movements. Remember... we will be passing through the game production process.

12/05/98
It's Saturday. I'm at work with three other members of the Heroes3 team. I'll be in again tomorrow.
Smells like "crunch time."
Everyone in the game industry knows the term "crunch time." Those not in the industry may ask, "What is crunch time?" Long hours: 10-18 each day. We're starting our fourth crunch month. We have at least one more after this.
Bad take-out food: Mexican and Chinese food are New World's favorites. Today we had Taco Bell and Domino's pizza as part of NWC's "work for food" program.
Social Life: To work in the game industry you must already have some form of social retardation. When crunch mode begins, you may only speak in code to coworkers. Immediate family and friends may be seen on brief occasions so they don't file a missing-persons report. I'm one of the lucky ones; I don't remember having any friends or family.
Hygiene: Haircuts and showers become optional in favor of more sleep time. For me, showers are a must, but my hair is sprouting wings and a tail. Pretty soon I'll look like the lead singer from Flock of Seagulls.
Stress: Anger and frustration are frequent companions. If bridges are burned, this is usually the time. Earlier this week morale was low. In a fit of anger concerning team interactions, I was heard shouting, "I feel like a kindergarten teacher. Can't everyone just keep their hands to themselves and play nice!"
Murphy's law: Any potential hazard will be encountered. I'm writing this diary from the NWC conference room. My computer refuses to function for more than five minutes without seizing up.
12/06/98
This weekend I'm taking care of my PR duties (hence this diary). Not the most exciting stuff, so I'll relate a short story from earlier this week.
David Mullich (producer), Mark Caldwell (NWC vice president and programmer), Jon Van Caneghem (NWC president, creator of all things Might and Magic, and company design visionary), and I found ourselves crowded into the sweltering office of Scott White.
Scott did all the town screens in Heroes III except the Rampart, Necropolis, and Fortress. Since he finished his 3D duties, he's turned his skills to the game's interface. Believe it or not, we were in Scott's office arguing about color: interface colors and player colors.
After much arguing about the interface colors, we decided to leave it virtually untouched. Player colors were a different subject.
Originally, we used light blue, dark blue, red, green, purple, brown, black, and white. These colors needed to change. Light blue looked like the blue used in the main menu. Brown clashed with the brown used in the general game interface. Game text disappeared against white. Black and green disappeared with the terrain colors shown on the game mini-map.
OK. We agreed some of the colors needed to change. After this, the agreements stopped. I don't know what is more ridiculous... arguing over what colors to use or the twisted logic behind the arguments. Red, blue, and dark green were safe choices. We still needed five other colors. The conversation went something like this....

"I don't want yellow. Yellow is the urine color."
"What about brown?"
"I don't like brown."
"Brown is the s**t color."
"What about pink?"
"Pink is a sissy color."
"We won't call it pink. We'll call it 'rose'."
"Rose?"
"The rose player?"
"I don't know. If I saw a pink hero, I'd turn and run away. You know any hero secure enough to use pink as his color is bad ass."
"What about magenta?"
"What about cobalt? What about cadmium?"
"Have we accounted for all the fecal colors?"
"What about orange?"
"Phelan (our art lead) doesn't like orange. It looks bad."
"So. I don't think it looks bad."
"Fine. You tell her you want orange."
"She'll kick your ass."
"Oh. Fine. We won't use orange."

So it went. Fifteen minutes later everyone agreed to disagree, and Jon was made the final judge. Here are the final colors: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, aqua, and rose (pink).
12/07/98
Today we stopped all map production. From here until we ship, I join the mapmakers and testers in playing maps and writing bugs... or so I thought.
Today, I had dropped into my lap the assignment of converting the 144-plus pages of the game manual into a help file. Anyone who has written a help file knows how huge this task can be. I could probably finish it in a day, but it requires no one bothering me for an extended period of time. Ha!
At this late stage of the production cycle, my entire day is spent meeting with people, making sure people are doing their work, and confirming that what is being done is correct. I don't have time for work. I've made the ugly evolution from game designer to middle manager.
It wasn't like this at the beginning of the project. At the beginning of the project the game designer is the screaming prophet, lost and alone in the desert (or the design process if you prefer).
In the middle of the production process the prophet is being screamed at by all his fellow coworkers who are wondering what to do because the design doc is behind schedule.
At the end of the project, everyone's a screaming prophet, and everyone is screaming at everyone else.
Sometime in the middle of all this screaming I've got to write this help file. Maybe I could give the assignment to Christian Vanover (H3 assistant director). Isn't it the job of a middle manager to delegate?
12/08/98
Yesterday I was wondering where I would find the time to write the game help file. Today I have the answer.... I think I have the flu. This doesn't feel like any 24-hour "see-ya-bye" flu either. This feels like "kneel before Zod!" flu.
All right. I've got a story for you.
Earlier today we "officially" stopped making maps. From here on out, we play, test, and polish the game. This could mean a little, or a lot. If the maps play well the first time out, revisions will be minor. If we end up chucking whole maps, we may find ourselves back to making maps. Thus, we started playing them today. JVC (Jon Van Caneghem, New World's president) ended up playing a notorious map named "Barbarian Breakout."
Ten minutes after he starts, JVC pages me over my phone intercom: "Hey Yoda." (He's been calling me Yoda lately. I don't know why. I'm not sure if I should be honored or offended. On one hand, Yoda is wise and he trains Jedi Knights. On the other hand, he is a short ugly green dude with big ears.) "Enemy hero with six behemoths (one of the highest-level creatures) knocked on my front door on week two, day one."
"Oops. I'll be right there."
As soon as I walked into JVC's office, the razzing began.
"What's with the six behemoths? Is this one of the balanced scenarios?"
"OK, OK. Something's wrong. Turn off the fog."
Jon restarts the scenario, turns off the fog of war, ends turn four times in a row, then right-clicks the enemy hero to see the extent of his forces. Aside from his other three stacks of creatures... he has one stack of six behemoths. Oops.
"All right. Open the map in the editor."
Jon opens the map in the editor. What do we discover? First, the enemy hero starts at level three, and the mapmaker (Dave Botan) has given him four stacks of creatures. In addition, the enemy hero's starting town has three of seven creature generators already prebuilt.
No wonder the enemy was able to recruit behemoths on day four.
Remember the story about the father who comes home from a bad day at work and yells at his wife? She in turn yells at her kid. The kid in turn kicks the dog.
At this point, I'm looking for a dog to kick. So, I hunt down Dave Botan. Immediately, Dave states his defense.
"Everyone says the map's too hard. It isn't. The AI's cheating." (Recently, we discovered the artificial intelligence was exploiting an undiscovered bug allowing it to recruit more creatures than were actually available.)
"The AI doesn't need to cheat. It's already got a huge advantage."
"There's a bug."
"Doesn't matter. Set all players to normal starting conditions."
At this point everyone begins to playfully dog-pile on Dave telling all the reasons why his maps suck. In the end he relented and fixed the map.
12/09/98
I'm not writing from work today. I'm writing from home. I have seven-way-straight-from-the-bottom-of-the-Amazon-flu.
With this kind of flu the logical course of action would be to rest, drink lots of fluids, watch lots of movies, maybe see a doctor. However, I am a game designer and unfamiliar with the ways of logic. A day at home with the flu means I have the opportunity to finish the H3 help file.
Wow.
How pathetic can you get? On my day off to rest and get better, I use the uninterrupted time to convert a 144+ page manual into a help file.
I should get sick more often. I get more work done.
12/10/98
I'm back at work today. Good news... I finished the help file. Bad news... I still have the flu, and because I was so efficient in writing the game help file... I've been given the task of writing the map editor help file. Oh yeah, finish it by Monday.
Monday? There's so much pressure in my head, when I sniff, my eyes want to flee their sockets. My voice has the auditory consistency of sandpaper. Monday? Sure, I'll have it done by Monday.
12/11/98
Well, it's Friday night, and I have yet to see Star Trek: Insurrection. Doubt I'll be seeing it anytime soon.
One of the unmentioned symptoms of crunch time is cultural unawareness. In my time at a previous company I almost missed the entire O.J. trial. I haven't seen a movie since Starship Troopers. I'm not kidding.
12/14/98
I shouldn't have come in to work Thursday and Friday. It really pushed me over the edge. For the past two days I've been laid up with fever and chills. Remarkably, it was the one thing to take my mind off work. Aside from a froggy throat, it seems to have passed.
Enough about my illness. From here on, assume I'm always ill with the flu.
12/15/98
Today NWC (New World Computing) took a brief pause from game development to listen to Trip Hawkins (president of 3DO, NWC's parent company).
Twice a year, Trip makes a formal visit to talk about the company and where we're going as a company. It's a nice break from things.
However, Trip wasn't half as exciting as David Richie (our tools programmer) who sat next to me. Turns out David is coming down with the flu.
Over the course of the meeting, the air conditioning didn't turn on. With over 50 people crammed into a room, it got hot very fast. As the minutes passed, I could see David slowly whither.
I thought he was going to vomit. So basically, for most of the meeting, I sat envisioning how I was going to get out of the way when the volcano erupted.
Luckily, the volcano did not erupt. David left in the middle of the lecture and I haven't seen him since.
12/17/98
Welcome to the end of another working day at NWC. There is still no sign of David Richey. Another one of our programmers, John Krause, called in sick today. David Mullich (the Heroes III director) was ready to take bets on who would call in sick next. Of course, everyone blames me for getting them ill.
As far as your average NWC workday goes, this one was hectic and full of revelation.
Revelation?
Yes. Revelation. Only today did I look at my calendar and realize Christmas was next Friday.
Hectic?
Yes. Hectic. Every now and then I need to wipe my desk clean. This means catching up on all the hand-scrolled notes and stray post-its littered about my desk. When my desk is clean, I'm caught up.
This very act of cleaning makes for a semi-chaotic day. There is much gear shifting and subject changing to close dangling issues.
Add to this my usual parade of visitors, and my first chance to test multiplayer, and it takes great effort to avoid turning into a screaming monkey. Yes, I said screaming monkey.
Frequently, I find myself held hostage in my own office as a line of visitors (testers, programmers, artists, producers, etc.) quickly assemble outside my office in a short period of time, all wanting a piece of my brain.
Today it happened to occur while I was in the middle of a multiplayer game with Jeff Leggett (H3 multiplayer programmer). Simultaneously, I had three people show up and cram themselves into my small office. Each began jockeying for position to ask a question. Meanwhile, Jeff waited on the phone intercom, with Heroes III continually chiming in the background, letting me know it was my turn to play.
At this point you may apply the screaming monkey metaphor.
Despite the great potential for chaos, I asked Jeff to wait, gave my three suitors a number, told them to wait in line, then answered each of their questions.
On the surface, everything looked under control. Little did these poor souls know there was a screaming monkey, trapped in my mind's steel cage, wildly thrashing about in a desperate attempt to escape and turn me into a volcano of anger and lunacy.
When it was over, I took a deep breath, noted the walls weren't sprayed with the blood of innocent coworkers, and returned to my multiplayer game with Jeff.
Heroes II multiplayer wasn't friendly in the least. When it wasn't your turn, all you could do was sit at the computer and stare at the screen like a moron.
Well, thanks to our wonderful network programmer, Jeff Leggett, a moron you will no longer be.
Jeff has finished implementing multiplayer support. Now we're on a bug hunt. So, today, Jeff and I played a multiplayer game in the background while we went about our work.
I must admit, I had a blast. Moments like this make me forget my job is serious work.
12/18/98 Friday
Today I actually managed to catch up on all my notes. Next up, International Translation Kit. It can wait until Sunday. I don't get to enjoy these moments of accomplishment very often.
Being a game designer is nothing more than a life of delayed gratification. You spend the first month of the project "being creative," then spend the next 17 as a bricklayer implementing low-level details and boot-strapping the game design when unforeseen consequences arise.
Tomorrow we have our annual company Christmas party. I won't be going. I see my coworkers every day at work. I don't want to see them in a social environment. It'd be too weird. They'd have, like, spouses and dates and stuff, and wear dress clothes.
We've been told we can dress formal or casual. To me this means torn jeans and a food-stained white T-shirt. To everyone else, this means dress formal, because no one wants to underdress.
I don't want to see any of my coworkers dressed up. The thought frightens me. We're a bunch of geeks. We don't look good in casual wear. Formal wear will only amplify our geekiness.
Only one thing could entice me to go to the Christmas party - seeing the wives go off on the management for working their husbands so hard. I'd pay to see that... provided I wasn't on the receiving end.
By the way... hello to Chris Cross and Brian Reed, two friends I made when I briefly worked at Dreamworks Interactive (I didn't work on Trespasser). They called me today. They'd read the first entry in the Designer Diary and called to tell me what they thought. They then tied me up on the phone for the next 30 minutes while simultaneously sending me e-mail with bizarre and obscene attachments.
01/02/99 Saturday
Well, I'm back at work. The Christmas break was needed. I spent the first three days drinking eggnog, sleeping in 12- and 16-hour shifts, and watching Clinton get impeached.
After I was well rested, the eggnog was all gone, and Clintion was impeached, I did what any game design loser would do... worked on the game while on vacation. Ugh. I'm so pathetic.
My initial goal was to play existing maps. After playing five maps, it was obvious the AI hadn't been fully tested. It tended to sit back and never struck out until it had enough forces to guarantee a win.
This made for very extreme game experiences. Either you never saw the AI, or it came storming out of nowhere, knocked on your door, and politely introduced itself as your doom.
When our AI programmer (Gus Smedstad) gets back from vacation, I'll need to share my findings with him.
Well, seeing as I couldn't really play the game, I turned my attention to our 144-page game manual... much to my horror.
It turns out our second draft of the manual was full of errors. So, with red pen in hand, I promoted myself from game designer to fact checker. Over the next three days, I proceeded to bloody the pages of our beautiful manual.
To say it was tedious would be an understatement. When it was all over, I couldn't read anything if it wasn't written in fine print.
01/04/99 Monday
Today was another screaming monkey day. Why? One word: programmers.
I won't say who, but one of our programmers came into my office and proceeded to yell at me over a feature request he'd been given to program.
Why was he yelling at me? On the surface, it was because I hadn't given him enough details, or I hadn't thought through its impact enough. Or it could have been because it was simply a stupid feature, I didn't know what I was doing, and I was ruining the game.
The real reason? He wasn't sure how to program the task he'd been given, and the specified time frame was short. Instead of calming down, thinking it through, and telling me whether it could or could not be done in the given time frame, he panicked, and chose to vent at me.
Programmers are a unique breed. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Some of my best friends are programmers.
I must admit I am fascinated. I've watched each of our team programmers code. It's very amusing. How they code gives me a unique insight to their personality. For instance...

John Bolton (lead programmer): When John programs, it looks like he's playing chess.
David Richey (tools programmer): David doesn't code. Beforehand, he thinks about his task in depth, like contemplating philosophy, then simply writes it up. Quite often you can look through David's office window and see him bent over in his chair, chin on fist, like The Thinker.
Mark Caldwell (NWC VP): You need to know Mark to really understand, but when Mark codes, it's like he's in a boxing ring, ducking shots, trading blows, and trash talking with the program.

Now take such individuals and do the unthinkable... Make them into a team. Worse yet, force them to have meetings in which they must interact on a social level and agree to work together. Worse yet, force them to interact with right-brained artists and game designers.
It's a wonder any games ever get made.
Join designer Greg Fulton as gives us his very last Designer Diary entry, which tracks the last days of Heroes of Might and Magic III. In these last few days, the team waited anxiously to approve the gold candidate. But there is no rest for Greg, as he mentions a little something about the expansion disc. Join us as we count down the final development of Heroes III.
01/07/99
Ever heard the phrase "thousand tile stare"?
It's a phrase used by our mapmakers. You get the thousand tile stare from making H3 maps all day long.
Today I got the thousand tile stare after making a map for our eventual game demo.
It's a very simple, small map, letting players experience a portion of the game. Hopefully they'll experience enough and feel compelled to buy the game. I've been calling the map "Dead and Buried."
When I finished, I gave it to Chris Vanover (H3 assistant director) to play. Chris is an expert Heroes player. He's a good gauge of the map's difficulty.
Watching Chris play was a lot of fun. It allowed me to take a break from work and finally see the game in action. However, I am the worst person to have over your shoulder when you play.
Why? I'm a backseat driver. It's a bad habit from playing console games with friends.
Thus, I watched Chris play and second-guessed him all the way. We were like two old men spitting and complaining about the best strategy as Chris clicked his way through the game. It was rather humorous.
01/08/99
Today I gave the Dead and Buried map to a few select people to see if anyone could beat it in the allotted time frame of four game weeks.
One of my candidates was Jen Bullard. Jen is the only female tester in the QA area.
Upon entering the test area, I found Jennifer burning a candle at her desk. She wasn't afraid to comment aloud how everyone else in the test area doesn't wash their clothes often enough. She thinks they stink.
No sooner did I sit down to watch Jen play than the verbal bantering between the testers began.
Ryan Den, another one of our testers, was sure he found a bug and asked aloud if anyone had encountered the same bug. No one had. Immediately everyone began shouting "user error." Ryan thought they were all high... until he realized it was user error. Everyone then proceeded to playfully tear into Ryan yet again.
I must admit, our testers are pretty cool. Their interactions are quite amusing. They banter with the voracity of a knife fight, but it's rarely cruel.
01/14/99
Last night was my last chance to revise the game manual. Thus, I decided to pull an all-nighter to finish it. This was my first time being at NWC so late. I also experienced something completely new.
I had been drinking many free Cokes when my bladder reminded me who was really in charge. Without hesitation, I raced to the bathroom. I opened the door. It was dark. This is not unusual. The lights are hooked up to a motion sensor. To save energy, they turn on and off based on the presence of a moving body. Confident the lights would turn on, I strode into the bathroom.
The lights did not illuminate.
Fumbling around in the dark, I was able to find the light switch and flip it on.
Nothing.
Fumbling around some more, I found the door handle and exited the bathroom.
Moving quickly to Mark Caldwell's office (Mark and George were also working late), I told him, "The bathroom lights won't turn on." He said, "Yeah. The bathroom lights don't turn on after midnight." I asked, "How do you go to the bathroom with the lights off?" He answered, "Usually I just feel my way to the urinal."
"I need to take a crap."
"Hey, I wouldn't know anything about that. Get the flashlight from George."
"I need a flashlight?"
"Yeah."
So, I walked to George's office.
"I need the bathroom flashlight."
Giggling to himself under his breath, George reached into his desk and gave me a pocket flashlight. With flashlight in hand I returned to the bathroom where everything went according to plan.
I know game production has its odd moments, but... this one was really odd.
01/18/99
In the last days of a game's production, the game designer makes a desperate attempt to prevent features from being cut to make the deadline. However, if I got all the features I wanted, the game would never ship. Thus, there is always a tug of war between the game designer, management, programmers, and artists, to decide what gets into the game and what gets pushed back to the expansion or sequel.
Today I was doing my best to get a new hero into the game without too much additional programming or art. I realized I could get the results I needed by simply adding a new graphic and customizing an existing game hero. Even better, I could get the graphic from existing art in the intro movie. All the artist had to do was crop a freeze-frame from the movie and give it to our asset manager to be put into the game. I could customize the hero in the editor. All the programmers had to do was recognize the character's unique identification.
Well, we did.
I wonder how much longer I can push my luck.
01/19/99
I have become the Walmart floor manager.
No. I haven't quit my job.
Let me explain.
At this stage in the making of the game, I find myself spending most of my time walking the halls with my Notepad of Oppression waiting for people to call out my name.
The notepad is a list of issues needing resolution. Most people find the notepad humorous unless their name is on it. Ironically, I end up putting my name on the notepad more than anyone else's (I'm oppressing myself).
Regardless, when I am walking the halls and someone calls out my name, I duck into their office to answer their questions. Sometimes this means getting on their phone and calling someone else to clear up an issue. If I don't have the answer, I'm the intermediary.
Thus, I feel like the Walmart floor manager, roaming the isles, taking care of arising issues. All I really need is the blue vest.
01/20/99
For a moment, consider most game manuals. Usually, a manual details the game interface and introduces you to the various game elements. Rarely do these manuals give you true game statistics.
For Heroes III , we wanted to buck this trend. Using the Heroes II strategy guide as a model, we decided to make a big manual loaded with information. This is exactly what we did - 144 pages.
Today we signed off on the manual. Well, no sooner did the ink dry than we discovered some errors. It was terrifying. I literally sat at my desk, looking at the errors I had discovered, and heard the manual mocking me with the chittering of a wild hyena.
There was nothing I could do. It was carved in stone. Now understand, most manuals ship with some errors. This is what the Readme is for. However, several people had gone over this manual time and again, and still there were errors.
I'll never make a big manual again. It's too much upkeep considering the fluidity of game design.
I'm sure I'll lose some sleep over this.
1/25/99
Today the Coke machine caught fire.
Let me repeat this.
Today the Coke machine caught fire.
Since we started crunching, around 7:00pm each night, Mark Caldwell (NWC VP) has been unlocking the Coke machine for free drinks to go with our evening meal. We don't continue pressing the selection buttons for the various drinks. Instead, we literally open up the front half of this big, red, half-ton refrigerator, made to withstand the assaults of the most juvenile of delinquents.
Now, I'm not exactly clear on the details, but one of the testers pulled open the front door to grab a soda from inside. Apparently, some of the electrical wires were sheared, followed by fire and smoke.
Upon seeing the fire and smelling the smoke, the tester grabbed Ben Bent (NWC office manager and part-time game director). He then pointed out the fire in the Coke machine.
With perfect calm, Ben simply unplugged the Coke machine. Poof. The fire went away.
I must admit, I can't help but see the fire in the Coke machine as a metaphor for Heroes III in production. A fire starts, someone panics, and someone else calmly solves the problem.
Truthfully, it's the story of the game production process.
2/07/99 Sunday
Today could be the day.
We've decided to make a "final candidate" CD-ROM for 3DO approval. A final candidate is what we consider "ready to ship." We then send the final candidate to 3DO for them to do shrink-wrap testing.
Tonight, no one leaves the building until the game is finished.
2/08/99 Monday
It's 5:00am Monday morning.
We just started burning the final candidate.
About half the team is still here.
We've been crunching too long. Everyone's burnt.
About 15 minutes ago, Mark starting broadcasting Money For Nothing over everyone's speakerphone.
Ironic.
02/13/99
I am literally weak-kneed. Except for writing this entry, all I intend to do is just sit in my office chair and do everything I possibly can to do nothing.
As of 8:30 Saturday, February 13, we're calling it good Barring last-second crash bugs, the game is done.
It's 9:30, and with the realization the game is done, already I'm beginning to crash.
After crunching for so long, the crash is the aftereffect. This is the time when you finally realize you can relax and return to a somewhat normal life. This is also the flag signaling the release of all the pent-up stress and illness you've been holding off by sheer will for the past six months. Thus... crash.
Wow.
We're done.
02/14/99
Four days after announcing Heroes has gone gold, we're already talking about the expansion pack. Already, I've assembled my map makers. They're good people. With H3 under their belts they should make even better maps for the expansion.
The downside? Chris Vanover is moving onto a different project. Technically Chris was H3's assistant director, but I adopted him as my assistant designer. He was a big help in many of the grunt areas. I was hoping to hand the expansion off to Chris so I could concentrate on the next Heroes.
No such luck.
Ultimately, this means vacation must wait.
(whimper)
Where is a monkey boy when you need one?
02/19/99
David Mullich's (Heroes III director) wife was pregnant and expecting about the same time as E3 last year (Atlanta '98). So, he couldn't go and demonstrate the game.
I was the next logical choice. I know the game better than anyone else, and when needed, I can turn on the charm.
Now don't get me wrong, when I have demoed the game, it has been a delight. Yet, as a game, Heroes III doesn't demo well. It's a turn-based game. It's not a first-person shooter or real-time strategy game. There's no real immediate reward for your attention span to latch onto.
However, Heroes does have a very large, very dedicated following. Thus, most people who want to see Heroes are already fans. This was the case at E3.
At E3 I did the vast majority of the presentations. I did so many I ended up losing my voice. Almost all the people who saw the game were fans of Heroes and liked what they saw. We were so successful, people were taking chairs from the other game stations to sit in front of ours.
Well, the downside to my work at E3 was... I became the demo guy. The downside of being the demo guy is traveling.
I hate traveling.
Once I arrive at my destination, there's no problem. I'm just impatient by nature. I'm also 6'1" and hate sitting in supercramped airline seats.
So, today I got to fly up to 3DO with Peter Ryu (MM7 producer), Keith Francart (MM7 director), and Jeff Blatner (new Heroes producer) to give presentations on MM7 and Heroes III to our Ubi Soft partners and a smattering of European journalists.
As much as I hated getting up at 5:30am and traveling to San Francisco (less than one week after going gold), the trip was amusing for a number of reasons.
Since I have been at New World, Peter Ryu has always worn shorts and sandals. For the presentation, Pete was ordered to wear pants and shoes. Throughout the day, he was wincing as the shoes rubbed his feet raw.
The other amusing part was hanging out with the French chicks from Ubi Soft and the European press.
Last time I was at 3DO I did an H3 presentation to a number of European journalists. Not a French woman among them. It was different this time, and dare I say, worth the trip.
02/22/99
David Mullich (H3 director), George Ruof (H3 programmer), and I are the only members of the team in the building today. Everyone else is on vacation.
Over the weekend I began my self-rehabilitation for returning to the real world.
When you do nothing but work 12-14 hours a day, seven days a week, and then it all comes to an abrupt halt, you suddenly find you have all this spare time on your hands.
Ultimately, you become bored. You don't know what to do with yourself because your "normal" situation meant working on the game... but the game is finished. Normal has become different and no longer normal.
A logical assumption for curing this boredom would be a vacation. Not yet. I've got to write the design for the expansion disc. I've got two weeks before it is due. After hammering out the specs, everyone will be briefed, then I can go on vacation.
I've got it all planned out. I haven't seen my parents since Christmas of 1997. So, I'm going to go back home and sit in the rocking chair in front of my dad's big-screen TV and watch nothing but cable television for at least two weeks. You heard me. Nothing but CNN Headline News for two weeks. If by then I'm not properly vegetated, I'll watch it for another week. Then I'll track down my old high school girlfriend and see if she's still single.
I've set up an e-mail address for your feedback about the game when it hits the shelves. This e-mail is merely for player feedback and suggestions. I will be the one reading the e-mails, and most likely, I won't be answering any of them. So, don't flame me if I don't respond. [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
I've enjoyed writing these diaries. I wish I had been able to dedicate more time to them.
My apologies to Elliott Chin (who made these diaries possible). Elliott wanted me to talk about the design philosophy behind H3. After practicing design philosophy 12-14 hours a day, I couldn't bring myself to write a diary about it. So, I thought I'd do "a day in the life." I hope you enjoyed my tongue-in-cheek account.
I leave you with the following words I once heard the great Jon Van Caneghem speak, "When it's all over you'll forget how hard it was and do it all over again."
He's right. We will.

Hello all: sometime last year, the back glass in my 2014 Fusion got broken by a rock. I had Safelite come to my house and replace it. All seemed OK until about a week or so ago, when I ran my car through a touchless car wash. I saw water on my back seats, and after checking, it was coming in near the headliner at the top of the back glass.
Fast forward to today, and I filed a warranty claim with Safelite. The tech showed up, and claimed the leak was coming from the center mounted high brake light near the roof, and not the glass. The water is definitely coming from that area, but I still think it's from the seal on the glass. Has anybody ever had a leak from their brake light area up there?

Below, I am going to prove that Ganesha is originating from the non-Vedic, i.e. Dravidian beliefs:

Ganesha

Ganesha or Vinayaka is the famous Elephant-headed deity. His role is to remove obstacles and bestow knowledge. According to legend, Parvati made a boy out of clay to guard the entrance to her house while she bathed. Shiva arrived to meet Parvati but the boy tried to stop him. Shiva out of anger used his trident to cut the boy’s head off. To pacify a grieving Parvati, Shiva obtains an elephant head and attached it to the headless copse of the boy and bestowed upon him life. Later, Shiva made Ganesha the leader of the Ganas, thus giving him the title of Ganapati.
Now it is the Ganas of Shiva, of which Ganesha leads, that offers a huge clue to his origins. The Ganas are in fact a host of spirits, and much like them, Ganesha originated as a spirit rather than a typical deity. But we shall get into that later.

Ganapati

The name Ganapati is found in the Rig Veda, but no connections to the elephant headed deity is known. Rather the word means what it literally means: a leader of a troop. For example in Rig Veda 2.23.1:
“gaṇānāṃ tvā gaṇapatiṃ havāmahe kaviṃ kavīnām upamaśravastamam jyeṣṭharājam brahmaṇām brahmaṇas pata ā naḥ śṛṇvann ūtibhiḥ sīda sādanam”
“We invoke the Brahmaṇaspati, chief leader of the (heavenly) bands; a sage of sage; abounding beyond measure in (every kind of) food;best lord of prayer; hearing our invocations, come with your protections, and sit down in the chamber of sacrifice”
Similarly in Rig Veda 10. 112.9:
“ni ṣu sīda gaṇapate gaṇeṣu tvām āhur vipratamaṃ kavīnām na ṛte tvat kriyate kiṃ canāre mahām arkam maghavañ citram arca”
“Lord of the companies (of the Maruts), sit down among the companies (of the worshippers), they call you the most sage of sages; without you nothing is done in the distance; have in honour, Maghavan, our great and various adoration. of wealth, (the wishes of) your friends; make war (for us), you warrior endowed with real strength, give us a share in the undivided riches”
So it seems that we can’t try our luck with the word Ganapti at this early on. However, there is an older term for Ganesha that offers us a great amount of evidence: Vinayaka. Even today, in south India, Ganesha’s older name Vinayaka is more popular, at least in Andhra Pradesh.

Vinayakas

If one looks at the older Indian literature, they will notice that Vinayaka appears in the plural, referring to a class of spirits on par with Bhutas and Pretas. The earliest text to mention them is the Manava Grihya Sutra.
“Atha ataH vinAyakAn vyAkhyAsyAmaH shAlakuNTas ca kuSmaNDarAjaputras ca uSmitas ca devayajanas ca iti etair adhigatAnAm imAni bhavanti loSTam mRdgAti”(MGS 2.14.1-4)
“Now hence we will account the Vinayakas. Shalakunta, Kushmandarajaputra, Usmita, and devayajana thus. By these, they will become of the learned. Softly he recites”
The 11th chapter of the Yajnavalkya Smriti, a person under the influence of a Vinayak will have negative symptoms, namely depression and absent mindedness. The examples get specific: a prince will have no kingdom, a girl wont find a husband, women won’t have children, a student will not learn well, a merchant may not obtain profit.
The very first verse of the 11th chapter in fact states:
“Vinayaka has been appointed for the purpose of bringing about obstacles in the performance of sacred rites, and he has been put at the head of all the hosts of Devas (Gana) by Rudra and Brahma as well as (by Visnu)”(Verse 271)
Here we see 4 Vinayaka becoming one. Later on in an enumeration of Vinayakas names, we see Kushmanda and Rajaputra. Admittedly the single name kushmandarajaputra split into two, but nonetheless there is preservation of an older tradition.
The 11th Chapter oes on explaining how to worship the deity should one be under his influence.From this, we see the formation on the familiar motifs surrounding Ganesha. In the Ritual, there is the throwing earth into 4 pots of water, and the chanting of the various names of Vinayaka. However, verse 287 has something interesting:
“ Then having taken all the following things and bowing his head on the ground let him invoke Ambika, the mother of Vinayaka : — Husk and unhusked rice as well as cooked rice mixed with sesa- mum paste, fish, raw and cooked fish, so also raw and cooked flesh. ”( YS Verse 287)
First thing to note is that Vinayaka is the son of Ambika. Ambika is the precursor to Parvati and Durga. This is interesting as at this time period we are seeing the commonly known belief that Ganesha is the son of Parvati. Keep in mind that Ambika herself is a deity of Dravidian origin (PDr amma > Skt. amba> Skt. ambika). The other interesting thing to notice is meet offerings, including that of fish and raw meat. We will get to this later.
Vinayakas spirit connection is also understood from his mention along side the Grahas (not the planets) and Kartikeya.
“Having thus worshipped Vinayaka and the Grahas according to rule^ he obtains the fruit of all actions as well as gets the highest fortune. ” (Verse 293).
Similarly,
“ He who always offers Puja of the Aditya and makes tilaka of Swami Kartikeya and MahE Ganapati, obtains all success. ” (Verse 294).
The Grahas are a disease-causing class of spirits, of which one of them is Skanda. Later on we shall see that the god Kartikeya (Skanda) originated as Grahas and other forms of spirit worship. The association of Vinayaka with the Grahas and Skanda suggests two things.
The first is that Vinayaka is a spirit or supernatural entity. His prominence made him foremost of the spirits, i.e. Ganas.
The Bhagavatam 8.12.2 establishes the spirit like nature of the Ganas, of which Vinayaka leads.
“vṛṣam āruhya giriśaḥ sarva-bhūta-gaṇair vṛtaḥ saha devyā yayau draṣṭuṁ yatrāste madhusūdanaḥ”
“Having mounted the bull, the lord of the mountain (Shiva) surrounded by all the bands of spirits (sarvabhutaganair) went along with Devi to see where Mashusudana is”
The second is that we see the origin, at least in part, of the modern Hindu belief that Skanda and Ganesha are brothers.
The other motif interestingly seen is that Vinayka is offered Modakas (verse 289). Modakas are balls of rice, and modern Hindus will mention how Ganesha is fond of them.The mention of a white cloth being used in the ritual may be the origin for modern iconographic deptions of Ganesha with a white garment.

Non Vedic Origins

Besides the ritual being very earthly, the other interesting thing to note in the 293th Verse of the Yajnavalkya Smriti is the offering of Raw Meat and cooked fish. Vedic rituals do use meat, but those are offered in the fire. Here, no such thing is recorded.
In addition, the use of fish is a staunch prohibition in the Manusmriti
“He who eats the flesh of an animal, is called the ‘eater of its flesh’; he who eats fish is the ‘eater of all kinds of flesh’; hence one shall avoid fish” (5.15)
Admittedly, in the next verse Manu makes an exception to two kinds of fish: Rohita and Pathina.
“The ‘Pāṭhīna’ and the ‘Rohita’ are fit to be eaten when used as offerings to gods or Pitṛs; the ‘Rājīva’, the ‘Siṃhatuṇḍa’ and the ‘Saśalka,’ (one may eaṭ) on all occasions”(5.16).
However the fish are specific and are an occasion for festivities. These seem to not be used for appeasing spirits. Besides there is no specification of the fish to be offered to Vinayaka in the commentary of Vejnanevara. Besides, the mention of raw flesh is a huge indicator to the non Vedic origin of the Vinayaka worship. Verse 288 also mentions offering wine, to which the commentator explains to be of the Gaudi type, made from molasses. This wine, as it is made from molasses, is forbidden for brahmins.
Gaudi is not the same as Soma or Sura, the latter is made from grains and is not necessarily sinful for a Brahmana to drink (Manusmriti 11.90, commentary by Medhatithi and notes by Ganganath Jha).
Returning to the offering of raw meat and fish, scholar Kenneth G. Zysk in his “religious Healing in the Veda” records a nuanced set of rituals pertaining to healing and exorcism associated with the Rig and Atharva Vedas. Despite the nuanced list of rituals, not a single one of them involves meat offerings. Admittedly though, there is an instance where animal hide to make a pouch to store herbs. Beyond that, it seems that Vedic rituals pertaining to dealing with problematic spirits were vegetarian in nature. Thus, the presence of meat in the appeasement of Vinayaka suggests that the Vinayakas as a class of spirit are of non Vedic origin.

Dravidian and Tribal Parallels

Spirit worship is a feature in Dravidian folk customs and in tribal religion. In Kerala there is the festival of Theyyam where the spirit of a goddess enters a man, making him dance frantically. Tulu Nadu has Bhuta Kola, where gods and other spirits enter priestley men who also dance frantically. The Gonds, Santhals, Mundas, and other Central Indian tribes also believe that spirits dwell everywhere and influence the lives of living beings. They can be good or bad.
In Andhra Pradesh, scholar Wilber T. Elmore notes that when a person is sick and no remedies work, a Bhuta Vaidyudu (demon doctor) is called to do an exorcism ritual. In that ritual there are uses of muggus, blood offerings, and pot offerings with rice.
“The demon doctor makes three kinds of the sacred muggu, and after a bewildering number o f small ceremonies he makes an image of dough . He then forms nine small lamps o f dough and pours three kinds of oil into them. The lamps are lighted and placed on an offering o f food in front o f the image . A sheep is sacrificed, its blood caught in a broken pot and mixed with rice . This bloody rice is then sprinkled in the four corners of the room” (Emlore pg 53).
Later it is mentioned that:
“He then places the image of dough, one lamp, and the head of the sheep, in a pot, and the procession starts for the burying ground. Two men carry this pot and two others follow with the pot containing the bloody rice. After reaching the burying ground, they dig a hole and bury both pots with their contents, performing the usual burying ceremonies . After all is over another bloody nail is driven into the earth above the buried pots” (Elmore pg 54).
The ritual mentioned to have occurred in rural villages in Andhra Pradesh is more gruesome than the ones for the Vinayakas mentioned in the Yajnavalkya Smriti. Admittedly, this may be because the Brahamnical influence may have toned the ritual down. In any case we see an earthly folk ritual involving pots, rice, and raw meat. This is good evidence to suggest that the Vinayakas were a belief originating amongst the non Vedic cultures of India.

Origin of the Elephant Head

The solidification of Vinayaka having an elephant head occurred around the Gupta period; however what factors led to Ganesha having an elephant head in the first place.The interesting thing about the iconography of spirits in Ancient India was that depicting them with animal heads was not unusual. The Bharata Natyasashtra for example advises the costumes of spirits to have various animal heads.
“Bhūtas are known to be of various colours. They are dwarfs with odd faces and may have faces of boars, rams, buffaloes and deer as well” (Natyasashtra 23.98).
In Khmer Art, Yaksas are depicted with heads of various animals including the elephant. And on the Mathuran Frieze #2335, 5 yakshas accompanying Kubera are shown with elephant heads.
So the idea of Vinayaka having any animal head need not be questioned. However, what needs to be figured out is why the elephant is chosen out of all animals. Perhaps Vinayakas, back when there were more than one, may have had heads of other animals but this is speculation.
The most obvious answer to this question is that elephants in India were, and still are, a sign of high status and immense power. A kings wealth is measured by how many elephants he had. Elephants were used for war, construction, and ceremonial purposes. Such an animal that people looked to with awe should no doubt be the prime choice of selection when depicting Vinayaka. In simple terms, the majesty of elephants made the spirit having an elephant head popular.
Other sources of influence come from other figures in Hindu-Buddhist lore. One Vinayaka mentioned in the Manavagrihya sutra was Kusmandarajaputra. The name gets broken into two: Kushmanda and Rajaputra. The Kushmandas (or Kumbhandas) are a class of spirits in Buddhist lore. They are headed by Virudaka, who wears and elephant helmet. Virduaka guards the southern direction; interestingly, later Puranas mention Ganesha as the guardian of the South.
Another name invoked when one is possessed by a Vinayaka is “Virupaksa”. Virupaksha is also the name of the western Diggaja, a group of 8 elephants said to hold up the earth in each of the 8 directions. In Buddhist lore, Virupaksha is not an elephant but said to be lord of the Nagas. While Naga is taken usually to mean snakes, it could also refer to elephants. The relation of the names of the Vinayakas to existing elephantine figures could have partly motivated the success of the elephantine Vinayaka.
Other elephant cults may have popularized the elephant headed Ganesha as well. For example, Pilusara. Pilusara was an elephant deity worshiped in the mountains of Gandhara. Hieun Tsiang writes in the 34th chapter of his Buddhist Records of the Western World
“To the south-west of the town is Mount Pi-lo-sa-lo (Pīlusāra);[42] the mountain spirit takes the form of an elephant, hence the name. In old days, when Tathāgata was alive, the spirit, called Pīlusāra (siang-kien, i.e., elephant-fixed), asked the Lord of the World and 1200 Arhats (to partake of his hospitality). On the mountain crag is a great solid rock; here it was Tathāgata received the offerings of the spirit. Afterwards Aśoka-rāja erected on this same rock a stūpa about 100 feet in height. It is now called the stūpa of the Elephant-strength (Pīlusāra). They say that in this also is about a pint measure of the relics of Tathāgata”
Later, the Indo Greeks adopted Pilusara as their own deity, identifying him with Zeus. In addition, Greek records indicate there is a a record of the tribe Hastikas which may have been an elephant worshiping tribe. The existing elephant cults may have helped propel the formation of Ganesha the way we know him today, as well as popularizing him.

References:

​
ORIGIN OF GAṆEŚA by M. K. Dhavalikar 1990: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41693515...
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE FIFTY-SIX VINAYAKAS IN BANARAS AND THEIR ORIGINS by Isabelle Bermijn: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29335/1/10...
Rig Veda
Taitareya Aranyaka
Yajnavalkhya smrti
Hieun Tsian’s Buddhist Records of the Western World
The origin of the Ganapati Cult https://www.jstor.org/stable/1178368?...
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20486646…
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1177671
https://www.jstor.org/stable/40444039
DRAVIDIAN GODS IN MODERN HINDUISM A STUDY OF THE LOCAL AND VILLAGE DEITIES O F SOUTHERN INDIA by Wilber Theodore Elmore.

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/CYbhMW5
Like new Aimpoint Comp M5 up for sale. $700 shipped.

• No mount because who wants to buy someone's setup only to sell the mount back here?
• Low round count - approx 60-90 rounds while on a unity micro mount.
• Comes with a new battery!!! This seals the deal, I know what I got.
• No scratches anywhere, only slight remains of blue loctite that I was too lazy to clean off. Hairdryer and cloth will fix that. Or don't.
• Legendary Aimpoint Durability - even the knob is tough to rotate! *Still lighter than a T2 though
• Doesn't have that stupid new mount spacer that the M5S comes with (or the Aimpoint doody rds) so you can use epic mounts like the Unity.
• Pricey optic lets you flex on the poors who bought the Doody RDS and carry a VP9.
• JK, all HKs are wonderful.

Anyway, priced as shipped. Comment dibs and PM to continue, no chats please. I accept Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, Cash (if you're local).
Thanks for looking!
Will Trade for: Eotech 552 (2021+ mfg)+cash or TA31RCOA4-cash

Hi all, my wife and I moved into our home in October of last year. During the inspection, we turned on the AC briefly to verify that it was working and it seemed like there were no issues. I had a tuneup scheduled for this morning since we've never used the AC, but on Saturday night it got pretty warm, so I set the temp to 72. Both the inside and outside units kicked on, but the air it was circulating wasn't cold. It was cool, but definitely not cold and despite running all night long the temp when I woke up the next day was only 74. I wasn't too worried about it because I knew i had the tuneup scheduled and the past two days have been mild enough that we haven't needed AC. So this morning I go into the attic to make sure the unit was accessible and I noticed the fault light was blinking twice in succession, which I looked up in the manual as "anti-frost switch fault." But everything inside the unit looked fine, no ice or anything.
Tech shows up and I explain our issues and his first suggestion is just low refrigerant. This tracks with me since I had swapped out the filters last week and there isn't any weird routing of the intake. Sure enough he checks the pressure and says its low (i think he said it was 80 and needed to be over 100, but I can't recall and obviously don't know much) I reset the system and turn on the AC and sure enough its blowing cold! So the tech heads off, but when I go up to button up the AC, I see the fault light blinking again but no ice anywhere. I didn't want to call them back without looking into it myself, so this afternoon I reset the system again and turn on the AC and watch. Almost immediately, the piping on the outside of the condenser starts to ice up, but it isn't much. I watched for 7-8 minutes and while there was definitely ice it never got too bad (in my uninformed opinion) and the fault didn't pop up. I know I should probably had the tech check out the fault code immediately, but I don't know anything and he seemed satisfied that it was working fine (and the air was blowing much cooler, even after he left and i noticed the fault for the second time.)
So my extremely long introduction has just led up to a simple question of whether this is normal or do I need to ask the company to send someone else out to look? Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this and offer any advice.
-Type of system is a SpacePak ESP-3642G high velocity AC
-Location is Maryland, just outside of DC
-Model is ESP-3642G and S/N is C1501941234000028
-My job requires regular drug testing, so not even one line of cocaine is permitted
-Photos that I took: https://imgur.com/a/L5OSC1j

Timestamp

Item	Description	Comment	Price	Availability
GMK Oni Base	BNIB	Sealed	£200	Available
GMK Fuji Latin Base + Novelties + Landscape Deskmat + Fuji Rama Artisan BUNDLE	BNIB	Sealed	£260	Available
GMK Dualshot R2 Standard Base + Meka Deskmat BUNDLE	BNIB	Sealed	£145	Available
GMK Gateway Base + Novelties + Dark Deskmat BUNDLE	BNIB	Sealed. Selling for less than cost, ordered from US.	£260	Available
KAT Eternal Alphas + 60s/TKL Text Mods + matching custom cable BUNDLE	Used	Original boxes have slight damage and some keys have light signs of use. Cable ordered from Mechcables, in good condition.	£210	Available
Aluvia metal keycaps	BNIB	Never mounted (case was never sealed). Selling for cost.	£295	Available
Milkyway PBT 02 Base	BNIB	Sealed	£105	Available

All asking prices include PayPal G&S fees but not shipping costs. UK buyers will get priority. North London for local collection.
Comment before PM, will not reply to chats.
Thanks!

In Peru, I’ve seen people selling food and drink at traffic lights, washing car windows, or performing there (eg acrobatics). (I don’t know if “travelling salesmen” is the best translation - “walking salesmen” would be a more literal translation of “vendedores ambulantes”)
Is it reasonable to view this as one step up from begging?
I don’t want to judge the individuals involved, as I assume most countries lack social security, especially for refugees from other countries. And at least it’s disguised as doing something useful, which must be less soul-destroying than asking for something without offering anything in return.
Or is it seen as relatively normal to engage in low-volume business?
Also, is it common to give these people money without buying anything from them?
(Sorry if my questions have been a bit dark lately - I’ll try to return to the regular scheduled programming of llamas and ponchos and cultural appropriation soon)

I currently have a Heliod Sun Crowned deck. However not super into the Stax style of play to make it competitive. I wanna change out the commander to someting faster and more hard hitting. I was thinking Yoshimaru or Light paws. I have a ton of mono white staples. Any suggestions? Again looking for something with a low mana cost I can get out fast. I considered an tribal angel deck but the majority of angels are super expensive.