I’m not an expert on this, but I’ve worked with fresh and saltwater aquaria for years and here’s what I can say: food grade plastics should be fine to use, since they are not supposed to break down in water. I 3D print a lot, and PLA is not safe for aquaria because it is made of plant material and biodegrades in water over time, while PETG is generally safe for aquaria – but you have to be careful of what dyes/colors are used, same with ABS and nylon so long as they say ‘food grade’. Fish are pretty tolerant afaik, while invertebrates (especially crustaceans and cnidarians) are typically more sensitive to contaminants. That said, polypropylene (PP), and high density or cross linked polyethylene (HDPE or XLPE) are considered safe so long as they are virgin plastics (not recycled material). The surface and porosity makes a big difference in how long the plastics will last before biofouling – basically, microbes will form a biofilm and eventually other things will start growing on the surface, but periodic cleaning should keep this from building up. Also, keep in mind that each type of plastic has different tolerances to temperature, pH, etc., and the age of the plastic matters.

As an aside, there are micro/nano plastics everywhere. It’s unavoidable at this point. One of the biggest concerns for aquaria is other types of contaminants – other chemicals that are added to plastics (e.g., BPA) and heavy metals used in pumps, heaters, etc. Electronics and their plastic housings eventually fail, surprisingly often and quicker than expected at times, and the stuff that leaches out can cause a lot of harm to the animals, not to mention if a heater cooks the tank or just stops maintaining temp and the animals get too cold.

Aww this is amazing! Did you end up keeping the puppy?

Can confirm. My cat literally yells at me when it’s raining bc she doesn’t like going to the screened in porch while it rains. I guess they see us use the sinks and shower and assume that we control the rain as well

My friend from highschool said she was driving with her little brother in the passenger seat, and he apparently flipped off a cop. She told me the cop actually pulled her over and wrote her a ticket. This was a long time ago so I have no way of knowing what the ticket was for, or if this friend was telling the truth, fwiw. However, it’s always been my impression that cops can make up some BS charge if they want, and then it’s basically your word vs that of a cop *

• Unless you have a good lawyer

stabs you with Fibonacci syringe

Well this is how I found out he died. He deserved much worse for what he did. For those who don’t know, read at your own risk: Ian Watkins.

Ahh like potatoes. What other veggies require cooking?

Not to mention the dangers of bootlegging when you don’t know what you’re doing. Methanol is suuuper toxic, and there were many people accidentally poisoned while making their own alcohols during prohibition. Shoot, just look at how dangerous it is to buy street drugs now with fentanyl everywhere these days. Ideally there should be regulation to protect consumers. Random drug dealers as well as corporations have proven themselves untrustworthy, and most drugs/alcohol have some medicinal/spiritual/sociocultural applications, so outright illegalization results in a net negative.

😊

Local foraging: edible and medicinal flora native to the area, along with which plants to avoid. And perhaps less practical, but I’m partial to local wildlife identification because it’s fun :D

Someone else already mentioned comms, and I just want to add that this is a very valuable thing. Building a network of trustworthy people in your community and teaching them how to program and use radios would be absolutely life saving in emergency/disastrous situations. Maybe it’s the prepper in me, but it’s good to prepare for the worst and hope for the best with the current climate.

I’d say a series of basic survival courses that could be broken down by topic:

• First aid/CPR
• How to start a fire without a lighter
• Building shelter
• Wilderness survival
• Methods for obtaining potable water

My old manager was stopping by the store he used to work at that I still worked at the time. He was a friendly guy who trained me on my first job, and I of course trusted him. He claimed to have a business opportunity for me that would pay loads higher than what I made there, which was barely above federal minimum wage in the early 2010s, and that I was the hardest working person he ever managed and that he was taking a chance on me. We scheduled a time to meet at some cafe to discuss, he spent probably 2 hours hyping up the position, that I would be my own boss and get to employ my friends if they were interested to work for me. In the entire time, he never even mentioned WTF the business was, whether it was selling a good or service, nothing. I had to directly ask him what it was at the end of his spiel, and he said it was selling insurance (Primerica I think?) and that I would have to pay a monthly fee and pay to complete some training first, but that I would make so much money it wouldn’t matter. He asked for the names and numbers of 10 of my friends, to which I said that I’m not giving their info without their permission. Then he pressured me to text my friends to get their permission on the spot, and I stupidly did ask a couple of friends. I was young and dumb, barely out of high school. Luckily I felt that something wasn’t right so I told him it sounds like a plan and would get a hold of my friends later, but that I needed to go home. Of course I called my mom on the way home who told me it was a pyramid scheme, so I texted my old manager to let him know since I figured he was just as unaware as me. He denied it of course, trying to get me to meet up again, saying he didn’t explain it right, etc. I warned everyone that I worked with, and have never seen him again. Fuck MLMs, man.

I’ve explained to many adults, many with college educations, that insects are animals. Understandable for those who don’t realize corals are animals, but they think bugs are plants or something? Smh

Yeah, what’s up with that? Been noticing it takes forever lately

There are many tube worms that do have digestive tracts, but I assume you are talking about chemosymbiotic tube worms that are found in methane seeps and hydrothermal vents. These guys essentially live in farts (hydrogen sulfide, methane), which their symbionts use for chemosynthesis.

Any tips you can share for those of us who are too broke for therapy?

3

That guy is the biggest piece of shit, hope he rots in prison

• Mac sauce
• Tartar sauce
• Truffle aioli (American style)

I guess I like mayo-based sauces

Edit: formatting

• “Worry” by Jack Garratt

• “The Business of Emotion (feat. White Sea)” by Big Data

• “In My Head” by Peter Manos

• “Nancy Boy” by Placebo

• “Daylight” by David Kushner

• “Heroin” by Badflower

• “Hell Is Around The Corner” by Tricky

• “Good Luck” by Broken Bells

• “Cellophane” by FKA Twigs

This is some of the stuff I’ve been listening to pretty consistently over the last year or so. I am excited to listen to everyone else’s suggestions because I need new tunes

Sweet Dreams and Tainted Love by Marilyn Manson