I am pretty sure you live in an area of Hyderabad that cuts power multiple times a day without warning even if its just for few minutes. Without any regards to the importance of not breaking the continues supply for some of our important devices. This needs to be stopped!
When our voice is raised they say get third party options to solve this like an inverter battery or a solar option. Heights of laziness I say!
Working from home as we all know it is just not possible if you need to run simulations that require heavy wattage, that regular home inverters don’t provide for long time. When spoken to our line man he says there was an issue with a transformer every single time. Why is our system designed in such a way that one transformer can cause a power cut to an whole area? Why can’t the power be rerouted while fixing broken transformers.
Where are better electrical engineers when we need them? Who to raise these questions if not us? I really think we need to come up with an app till we fix these issues, that warns the phone number registered to the USC code about an outage at least couple of hours before doing the maintenance. This is the least our municipal should do. What do you guys think about our outdated infrastructure? 😠
PS: I’m taking this issue and a proposal to the higher ups, will keep updating on the progress in this thread.

https://youtu.be/MlemJriyLPY?t=3058
What would cause a weird glitch like this? Any idea if it's hardware related (Tomorrowland venue) or something to do with the tracks themselves (responsibility of the artist)?
Artists are really at the mercy of a venue if things don't go as planned. Are there always backups, and backups of backups, in terms of power and signal just to make sure something like this never happens?
Just curious, it has been at the back of my mind if power were to go out at the worst possible time. It feels like they need a powerplant just to run Tomorrowland, so I wonder if Boom, Belgium were to get an outage what would actually happen or if they would be good for the rest of the evening.
(David Guetta, Tomorrowland Mainstage 2012 comes to mind). :)

So my PC won't start up again after a recent power outage. I figured it might be an issue with my PSU so I swapped it out with a spare PSU that I have and also swapped out all of the connections to the PSU and it still won't turn on. The lights on my mobo flicker on for a brief second but that's it, it doesn't turn on. Any idea what it might be?
Here's are my specs: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mDt9vf

Power Drill with 2 Batteries https://denver.craigslist.org/tls/d/denver-power-drill-with-batteries/7629499104.html

My recollection of the dream starts at some party, where I enter a bathroom occupied by a dozen guys, and as soon as a girl walks in, they all start sitting on the long counter. They start telling me she's a bad influence because she's a cheater. I didnt mind that so I left the party to get something I thought would help me with her, and ended up on the east coast of Florida, and there's a highway going down all along the coast, ending at a deity's sanctum on the southern tip. The highway to the sanctum is a recurring location in my dreams; the deity is usually a Goddess, sometimes a nature Goddess, sometimes Death herself. I went to the beach next to the highway and found a clear crystal, and I immediately wanted to do some magic, so I headed down to the sanctum. My mom happened to be in the area, so I met with her and told her about the sanctum, since Mom is a witch and I thought she would like it, so we headed down.
For some reason, the highway went through some large rooms hosting a fancy rich people event and dinner, so we went through there discreetly. I ended up disrupting it when I saw to my right a door that I thought also held a dimensional portal and tried to go through the portal, only find out it had been removed during the renovation for the party, and replaced with a garbage chute. I dropped the clear crystal I found into it and tried to retrieve it, but it was in wet sewage so I gave up, and exited back onto the highway to resume the trip to the Sanctum.
In this dream it was the nature goddess' abode, but it was also being visited by other people as if the dream was an online MMO. It was there that mom took it over and revealed she had been cheating on Dad and tried to kill me once I confronted her. When trying to get her to realize common sense turned futile, I evacuated and headed back up the highway heading north at first, but I split to the west following a boarded trail to find another dimensional portal. Eventually the terrain dropped and I realize I'm holding a leash to a small dog, so we ran down the board bridge, but hit a dead end when we saw it had been partially collapsed. We tried to balance on it but the dog fell into the water below and I went in after it to take it to safety. Mom was still looking for me so I teleported out west. (The fate of the dog is unknown). I ended up in another recurring dream location in Wyoming, where a highway turns south in a mountain town to head to Denver. The place was triggering me due to memories of visits in past dreams, and I saw no dimensional portals, but I knew there was one in Los Angeles, so I teleported there.
I ended up in a house somewhere, and there was a door to a basement. Opening it revealed a stairway down to a corridor with spiders and spider webs. The dimensional portal was at the end of it, in front of another door. I realize a couple guys are with me, and when I get to the bottom of the stairs, I see the spiders and realize my shorts were down, so I pulled them back up before a spider could crawl up there. We go through the portal into another universe and open the door, which leads to a furnace room and some stairs headind down. One set going to the right, with 5 steps, and then to the left some split level stairs. We followed them and the next door opened into an office room. A living skeleton was in the left corner on the other end of the room, with a few more guys, next to an archway leading to an arcade room. The living skeleton turned out to be a woman wearing a magic necro mask. It tended to corrupt the wearer with promises of power, so it couldn't be worn for long. Before the girl took it off, she breathed a dark flag into existence for keepsakes. Once she took it off, she reverted to her normal human self. I wanted to wear it next because I wanted to create something for myself.
I put it on, and I transformed into a necroid. At first I wanted to create a "plutonium fusion bomb," a magically enchanted thermonuclear device from my sci fi world building project that can create a star. Then I couldn't truly decide on what I wanted to do, and the people around me kept telling me I needed to take it off soon or it would permanently bind to me and corrupt me. I also kept trying to get comfortable with the gloves the mask made for me. At one point I considered dabbling in necromancy (what the mask was originally meant for by its unknown creators). At last I thought of something I really wanted to do: Come to the IRL universe and breathe a real magic system into our universe. The guys around me immediately disagreed, saying that it would be taken advantage of by the wrong people. I immediately began running out the office/arcade to head back up the stairs to the dimensional portal back to our universe, to breathe my sci fi universe's magic system into our universe, and the people started running after me to rip the mask off my head. I held my hand on my head to prevent them from taking it off, and I had just almost made it to the door when they succeeded.
I screamed "Damn you fcking dream characters!" I mouthed it in real life but it didnt wake me up. I ran after them and jumped over the ledge over the bottom stairs, catching them by surprise and I wrestled the mask away and put it back on. As I ran back up the split level stairs, I decided I had enough of these guys so I breathed a living skeletal marine with an AR-15 to gun down the other people so I could make it back to the IRL universe with the mask to give it the magic system I always wanted. The skeletal marine had fired several rounds and I was about to breathe a second one into existence when my phone began ringing and woke me up.
I am hard of hearing, but had to leave it on cuz I was expecting a call from my life coach but he never came. Instead the call was from my mentally disabled baby brother, a figure in my life who seems to represent everything I hate about my life. Because reasons. I rejected the call, took off my hearing aid, and tried to go back to sleep. But I was too infuriated by the turn of events to fall back asleep so now I'm posting here, mainly to vent.
Naturally it wouldnt have made our IRL universe magical IRL, but that would have been a great feeling/placebo to wake up to. But this turn of events only serves to reinforce my utter hopelessness ive developed lately. Which is funny, i guess, since feeling hopeless about reality and how shitty all my dreams have become the past few decades was on my mind when I fell asleep.
While succeeding in my crusade in my dream may have waken me up feeling hope and feeling good about it, I have been thinking lately that hope only serves to prolong suffering. Like that one scene from that one movie, where the guy says "Dont do that. Dont give me hope."
Sorry for rambling lol

Some of the people on the Discord created a lit of achievements. How many do you have? Will update this list with the best suggestions (some achievements also still need names), but also feel free to track your own ones.
Copyable version of the Discord's list: https://pastebin.com/7Bjup2D3
And my achievements, this one is a working list I will update as people suggest more good ones:
[X] No other way to test it: Accidentally turbo yourself in the face with a light within 5 minutes of using it for the very first time.
[X] That's not a light... that's a light.: Have someone show you their new ULTRABRIGHT 50,000lm TACTICAL FLASHLIGHT and promptly blow it away with your EDC.
[X] No, you don't get it, CRI is important too: Show someone a high CRI light (e.g. 519A), explain CRI, only for them to be more impressed by the output
[X] Will ship accordingly: Order a secret menu Hanklight
[X] Many important things to do: Ask a light maker 2 or more questions in one email and receive an answer that could have applied to two different questions without specifying which it is for (e.g. "yes that is fine")
[X] ???: Order a light autographed by its maker
[ ] Day at the zoo: Order a Zebralight
[ ] I didn't think it'd happen to ME!: Get burned by bad customer service from nealsgadgets or armytek
[ ] ???: Receive an incorrect order from Fireflylite
[ ] There are at least two of us!: Meet another light enthusiast in person at random
[X] Bacon mode: Burn yourself on a powerful light
[ ] They said money would do this, not lights!: Burn a hole in your pocket with a light
[X] Infinite loop: Buy more batteries because you don't have enough for all your lights... then buy more lights since you have spare batteries.
[X] I'm helping!: "When I said turn a light on, I meant a ceiling light!"
[X] Initiation: Accidentally turbo yourself in the face
[X] Happens to everyone: Accidentally turbo yourself in the face 10 times
[X] You get used to it: Accidentally turbo yourself in the face 50 times
[X] You should buy sunglasses: Accidentally turbo yourself in the face 100 times
[X] Seeing spots: Accidentally turbo yourself in the face with a light with 10,000lm or more
[ ] ???: Accidentally turbo yourself in the face with a light with 25,000lm or more
[ ] Like staring at the sun: Accidentally turbo yourself in the face with a light with 50,000lm or more
[ ] ???: Own 50 batteries
[ ] ???: Own 100 batteries
[X] Two is one and one is none: Own 2 lights
[X] ???: Own 5 lights
[X] Prepared for anything: Own 10 lights
[X] ???: Own 25 lights
[ ] Well, I had to complete the set: Own 50 lights
[ ] Collector, not hoarder: Own 100 lights
[X] Hotrod: Own a light with 10,000 lumens or more
[ ] ???: Own a light with 25,000 lumens or more
[ ] Portable floodlight: Own a light with 50,000 lumens or more
[ ] Top 3: Own a light with 75,000 lumens or more
[X] No, your Maglite can't do this: Own a thrower with 100,000 cd intensity or more
[X] Kilometer: Own a thrower with 250,000 cd intensity or more
[X] Food-delivery beacon: Own a thrower with 500,000 cd intensity or more
[ ] Giga-thrower: Own a thrower with 1,000,000 cd intensity or more
[X] Lightsaber: Own an LEP flashlight
[ ] Unlimited power: Own a light with 3 or more SBT90.2 emitters
[X] Showerhead: Own a light with 15 or more LEDs (edit: No, aux don't count)
[ ] ???: Own a light with 30 or more LEDs
[X] ???: Reflash lights 5 times
[X] ???: Reflash lights 50 times
[X] ???: Reflash lights 100 times
[X] ???: Run a development build of anduril on a light
[X] ???: Find a bug in anduril
[ ] Restomodder: Make a light run anduril that did not originally come with it (driver swaps count)
[ ] It's just like DOOM: Mod a light that did not originally come with anduril to run it, using the original driveMCU
[X] Firmware developer: Provide a bugfix or new feature for anduril
[X] 31337 h4x0r: Run a modified version of anduril on a light
[X] Cosmic ray detected: Have a bad MCU flash even with with perfect contact with the flashing pads
[X] Shelf queen: Run a battery from full to 3.5V or less in a light of at least 18650 size without once bringing it outside
[ ] ???: Emitter swap a light
[ ] Hydra: Convert a single emitter light into a triple
[ ] Surgery on a LED: Modify an emitter by slicing/dedoming
[ ] Steady hand: Assemble a light with RGB auxiliary LEDs.
[X] White, with extra steps: Own a set of three throwers in Red/Green/Blue
[X] Toner: Own a set of three lights in Cyan/Yellow (inc. amber)/Magenta
[X] I didn't think they still made those: Have someone mistake a warm LED for an incandescent
[X] Warmer than a candle: Have a light with a CCT below 2000k
[ ] Old-school: Have a high powered incandescent flashlight
[ ] They don't make them like they used to: Buy/assemble a light with a discontinued LED (219b, XHP35HI, MT-G2, etc)
[X] Forgotten something?: Go back home after leaving specifically because you forgot to bring a light with you
[X] Time to get the lube out: Spend 30 uninterrupted minutes lubricating and maintaining your lights
[ ] Micro-celebrity: Get a light modified by a well-known modder (Vinh, Bob, Cheule, Artie, Adair, Sakowuf, etc)
[X] Don't use it in a hotel: Own a light with a UV-A emitter
[ ] Blindness beam: Own a light with a UV-B or UV-C emitter
[ ] ???: Own a light with an IR emitter
[ ] ???: Own a light with a far red emitter
[ ] Sleeper: Install a high powered LED and li-ion power inside a low powered 1.5V cell light (maglite, child's light, etc.)
[ ] Swings both ways: Own a AA/14500 dual-chemistry light
[X] Efficiency: Own a light with a buck or boost driver
[X] Special materials: Own a light made out of something other than plastic or aluminum: titanium, copper, brass, stainless steel
[ ] Four elements: Own at least one light made out of each of Aluminium, Copper, Titanium, and Zinc (brass).
[ ] Heavy metal: Own a light made of Zirconium
[X] Best friend: Volunteer to walk a dog specifically because you get to use your lights
[X] Gateway drug: Gift an enthusiast-grade light to a non-enthusiast
[ ] ???: Buy a light from another community member
[ ] ???: Sell a light to another community member
[X] Unfortunately fortunate: Get to use your lights in a power outage at night
[X] Worst case scenario: Experience a power outage during a sunny day
[X] Elite Four: Own at least one light using LEDs from each of: Nichia, Cree, San’an (inc. Luminus), Osram
[ ] Just as good: Own at least one light using LEDs from each of: Samsung, Seoul, Lumileds, Getian
[ ] ???: Own a light with chinese mystery emitters (eg: SFH, SFQ, SFS, L50 (round die) series)
[X] Beta-tester: Own a prototype light from a well-known brand
[X] It's who you know: Own a special/limited edition of a light that was not offered to the general public (e.g. BLF versions, limited-run lights)
[X] One light: Read at least 10 different "if you could only have one light..." threads on /flashlight
[ ] Patron of the arts: Commission a modified version of anduril from a community member
[ ] Exotic chemistry: Own a light with a battery chemistry other than alkaline, lead-acid, zinc-carbon, lithium primary, Ni-MH, Ni-Cd, Li-ion, LiFePO4, or Li-Po (e.g. LiMn, LiCoO, mercury oxide, solid state, etc.).
[X] Lights and light accessories: Purchase community-made accessories for a light (diffusers, new parts, etc.)
[ ] Creator: Design/create flashlight accessories for the community
[ ] Recycling: Harvest lithium cells from a laptop, vehicle, or powertool battery
[ ] Enthusiast favorites: Own at least one light from each of: Emisar, Noctigon, Convoy, Sofirn, Wurkkos, Lumintop
[ ] Mil-spec: Own a light from any one of: Surefire, Modlite, Streamlight, Armytek
[ ] Mil-spec at home: Make your own potted light, from a convoy host or something similar.
[X] Adopted: Add a cheap no-brand light to your collection
[ ] Windy: Own a fan-cooled light
[ ] Like a PC: Build a watercooled flashlight
[X] Right tool for the job: Use one light to look for the different light you wanted to use for another task
[X] Should have brought two: Use a light for the opposite of its intended purpose (e.g. trying to read a book in the dark with a large thrower)
[X] Datalogging: Own measuring equipment to record the CCT, DUV, and intensity of a light
[ ] Texas-Ace: Own measuring equipment to record the lumens output of a light (integrating tube or sphere)
[ ] Tint snob: Own measuring equipment to record the CRI and R-Values of a light (eg: Sekonic C800)
[ ] ???: Go caving, visit a mine, or otherwise explore the underground and bring lights with you
[X] Dual wielding: Stick two different lights together end to end using magnetic tailcaps
[X] Meme value: Take a photo of your lights with a crab holder
[X] ???: Repurpose something not intended for lights as a light accessory
[ ] Some people get to have all the fun: Attend an IRL light enthusiast meetup

Anyone know why the internet has been down for over 24 hours in Jacksonville nc?

I pulled her card from my lockbox today. I couldn’t bring myself to remove it from its wrapping though. I’ll explain the card in a little while. Even in just that briefest of moments though, the tears became too thick. I so wanted to see her name. Instead I decided to only go back to the memories. They bring enough tears. So I put the card back but need to tell my story of that memory. So thank you for your time in letting me indulge dear Reader. I know your time is precious and I am loquacious of a sort.
The place I used to work at a long, long time ago, Croc’s, was an odd duck. It was a Transformer of sorts. During the day and early evening it was a damn good Mexican restaurant. One of the best in town. Lunch was insane. Dinner was a respite. But on Friday, Saturdays, some Thursdays, and almost every holiday eve, it was… I don’t even have words. Nothing like what went on in those walls had been seen in Denver at the time. We had lines around blocks. The plural is not a mistake. On those nights, Croc’s was THE place to be in Denver. The owners got there before everyone else and had hit a jackpot with the place. The Rockies were starting over at Mile High and moving to LoDo soon. LoDo was booming and we were in the middle of it partying like no tomorrow every night.
But this isn’t about that amazing place, that’s for another day. Nope. This is about her, her son and I. Or rather, about loss and memories. But it all started at Croc’s and you needed to know what a breath of a moment in time we shared there. Not on one of those crazy nights but one lazy Sunday when we were pretty slow.
I mentioned the restaurant was an odd duck. See, it was designed so that from breakfast through dinner and into very early evening, it was a purposeful, full-fledged, extremely popular, and well reviewed dining establishment. But after that, it was designed so we could remove every table, chair, stool and booth. We essentially turned the whole restaurant into a giant dance floor with a bar that spanned half the distance of the long wall topped with massive tequila and booze pyramids. The wells were at either end with a plant potter behind them for storage. It was split level(ish) with a few VIP areas squirreled away. State of the art DJ booth on the south end of the bar. Oh and did I mention we had a 28 foot replica of a Nile croc suspended from the roof named “Hal”.
The owners were a group of friends who had grown up in the business. One of them was from the family that started Senior Frogs and the like down in Mexico. They had all met and worked at some of the hottest places in the state and been to some of the craziest places around the Americas. So when I say no one had seen anything like it, they hadn’t. We had a person that would blow tequila from a custom bong into a partier's mouth from 30 feet away. Our DJ’s were the best in town. We poached the absolute best in talent from every bar in a 4000 mile radius. That movie “Cocktail”? Yeah, that was this place on steroids. Hell, beside myself and 1 or 2 other guys, our security eventually turned into off duty SWAT cops. All these places around Denver and, hell, around the country you see now? Yeah these guys started it right there in LoDo.
It was the paper and crayons we would put on every table though where my memory begins.
There had been other places that had done what we did with the butcher block paper. It went on every table with crayons. It wasn’t the most innovative thing there but it was fun and the patrons enjoyed it. Many great artists out there! And of course the kids loved it. A lot of the folks who lived around there would bring their kids with them for lunch or dinner. I worked a lot of Sunday day shifts because a) everyone was hung over and never wanted to work and b) it was usually a nice bit of quiet after two nights that would make Caligula jealous. Plus the people who did come in were usually pretty cool and just out for a good meal. It was pretty chill after all that joyous chaos.
My section was usually the front lifted area just in front of the potters and a few tables in the middle. I was splitting with the other server that day since it was more dead than usual. A beautiful Colorado day back then. Blue sky with puffy clouds. Perfect temperature with no wind so the front doors to the small little patio were open. You could smell the flowers from across the street. The other server let me know she had sat a couple of people at one of my four tops. Sounded good so I headed out to say hello.
It was customary for us to write our name on the paper when we showed up. It was hokie but everyone loved it. It was our way of saying welcome and have fun! Some servers could do it upside down but I could never get the hang of that.
I headed down the bar toward the front, preoccupied with getting my marker out for the intro. I remember coming around the corner of the potter and just kind of coming to a juddering stop at the top step, tripping and almost falling on my face. Luckily she was a little preoccupied with her son and getting him situated so she missed seeing me make a gobsmacked fool out of myself.
I luckily regained what little balance I could alongside some composure quick enough to walk up and say hi. She said hi and then kind of waited. “Oh yeah dumbass” I said to myself as I told her, or rather flubbed, my name as I wrote it in the corner so they could read it right side up. She giggled a little bit as most people did with my nickname at the time. I hadn’t noticed but her son had been waiting the whole time for that moment. He grabbed his crayon and wrote his name and her name in front of them. “That’s a good name isn’t it?” I asked him. I told him it was the same as mine but the longer version. He was a little surprised by this as I went by “Scooter” back then. It took a second but he quickly realized it was a nickname. He had signed the long version of our name and said that’s what he liked. Right on man, you got it. Damn smart kid. You can tell, ya know?
After that briefest of moments, I shook myself a little and introduced myself for, I think the fourth time now. She tells me her name but it is instantly gone. Not only because of the effect this moment is having on me, but just because I am bad with names on the first go around. I don’t think we heard what either was saying anyway. Our eyes were locked and in that moment, it was all that mattered somehow. I can remember how deeply they shined. Her hair was a little damp and unkempt like someone in a hurry but has that respect for herself. Dark like her eyes but shining from the light outside. A simple blue/light purple and white striped shirt. Slightly damp around the shoulders. Worn jeans. Not the designer type but jeans aged with a good strong life. Blue canvas deck shoes with the white souls if I remember that part right. Maybe black canvas. I saw all this without ever breaking her gaze.
It was as if in the same moment we both realized we were in the same place together but not there alone. A moment later we both found ourselves apologizing for talking over the other. Sheepishly, like teens on their first date. Giggling a bit. Not knowing what was happening but knowing that something most definitely was. I apologized for the awkwardness and I think I cracked a joke or something but neither of us knew what to do. There was a calm panic and, I dare to say, a longing that was unknown?
It was her son who brought us both back to reality. He had asked if we had Coke or Pepsi. I shook myself internally again and told him we had Coke but could find some Pepsi if he really wanted it. Luckily he was not a Pepsi kid. I also told him that, yes, I would be happy to add a cherry to it. This time though when I met his eyes, I looked at myself when I was that age, as I answered that question. I hadn’t noticed it. Like a mirror as they say. Dark brown hair full of cowlicks. Round face with a big smile. Getting that cherry meant the world to him. I remembered that same feeling again through him. It was like looking at a version of myself I only saw in pictures.
At this very second in time I remember being terrified. Not “scared” terrified. It was more like, holy shite is this happening? What is going on? I wanted to turn and run and hide but somehow regained what little composure was left in that split second. I turned back to her and saw that she had just seen what I had seen. I could see wonder, joy, confusion, happiness, peace, thrill, fear and hope that I am sure were being reflected in my own eyes. We both needed a few minutes. We each could see it. It was overwhelming. Again, not a bad overwhelming but one of those moments where you need to put your hands on your knees and take some big, deep breaths.
The whole 3 or 4 minutes were surreal. And I will never forget them. I will fight as hard as I can to hold onto the others I have of both of them.
Somehow I managed to Charlie Chaplin myself away to get their drink order. I believe hers was a Sprite with a lemon. Normally I would go right around the corner of the plant potter and get the sodas from the guns there. Instead I went all the way to the back station. I needed to breathe. It seemed like an hour but I headed back. By this time the son was going to town. He had talent and it showed. It seemed like we had regained ourselves somewhat but the whole meal was kind of like an episode out of a teen comedy. We giggled, laughed, blushed, and did all the other things you would expect to see from two teenagers who discover they like each other. It wasn’t like I was trying to stay with them, or they tried to keep me there. It just kind of happened. I’d start to go away and she would ask me back for something simple. I would bring something I had forgotten in case they needed it. The whole meal went that way.
When they were done and ready to go, I was dreading it. Should I ask her out? She had mentioned she was single. It felt like I should ask her out. Like I said, the whole visit was surreal. There was no ring or even a suntan line of one (Don’t judge me, it was a different time). I wasn’t seeing anyone either. We seemed to get along amazingly, both her and her son. Even my fellow server noticed and was egging me on. It was obvious. Doing something like that with a client back then happened. Not usually in the first 30 seconds but you never know. I made up my mind to walk them out as I had no other tables and see what happened. I took the check to the table. She was packing her bag. I had gotten a refill for his togo cup and handed it to him. He said thank you and said he drew something for me. They had carefully torn it from the paper and he handed it to me. It was the three of us holding hands. How I held the tears then I do not know. I was a different person there at that precise point in time. At this moment those tears are here though.
I bent down to his level and thanked him sincerely. He said he was glad I liked it and he hugged me. I heard her try to stifle her gasp. Thank any or no gods or whoever for him. He let go, grabbed his Mom’s hand and said he was ready to go. As I stood up I could see tears welling in her eyes. He hadn’t done that to another man in, what she said, was a very long time she would tell me in a quiet voice as we started to walk toward the door. That was it. I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t even noticed that when we got to the big double doors, he had grabbed my hand. It just was there.
By this time I do not think either of us really knew what to do or what was going on. I mean, this was an impromptu outing to a place her son had liked because of the paper. It was a cheap and good lunch and then off to wherever for them and another table for me while I rolled silverware in the back or stocked the empty quicks from the previous night. But it seemed like it had been years together but only moments, if that makes sense? I certainly did not know what to do at this point. I think I mumbled what a delight it was to be able to spend time with them and I hoped they had enjoyed themselves or something like that. I honestly could not tell you. By this time she had regained herself somewhat. That girlishness turned into an elegance, beauty and strength that I had not seen before. But those same feelings exchanged in that momentary glance were still there. As was still a bit of moisture along the bottom of her eyes. We made a bit of small talk till he got a bit antsy and wanted to head off.
As we said our goodbyes that day, almost at the same time, we asked our questions. I asked if she would like to come by again soon with her son. His birthday was coming up I think and I could get the guys in back to make him something special. At least I think that was it. Her’s was if it would be ok if they came back soon. You know because the little guy liked drawing and the food. More childish giggling and laughing. And before she left she gave me her card and said to call if I was going to be working again on a Sunday or just whenever. As they walked together, hand in hand down and around the corner, I just stared at them and then the card over and over.
That very card I put back in a safe place tonight.
She was a designer as it turned out. I didn’t pry into her past as it sounded like it wasn’t all that great at times. She came by the restaurant a few more times after that. I then called once or twice to say hi and how they were doing and to let her know to come by. Eventually she asked me out. We spent some time together and it started to get a little more serious. She was a few years older but not by much. She was driven and forthright. Quick witted and compassionate. And such a good Mom with a massive heart. I was young then, somewhat good looking, fairly well paid and worked at the hottest spot in the state. And I had this woman I couldn’t get out of my head. Even my coworkers knew and could see what was going on whenever we were together. Either just the two of us or all three of us. Walking on clouds was an apt statement. At this point I want to point out that while I am no saint whatsoever, I do consider myself a decent person. At least I was back then and for the most part today. Things have changed as they always do but I digress.
Eventually the moment came. The serious date. She had a small but fantastic apartment downtown and wanted to make me dinner for once. I don’t think she was done asking before I said yes. We set a date for later that week. I remember it was a Saturday because me taking a night off from that place, with all its amazing moments each night to the amount of money you walked out with each night to leaving one of the other bouncers with one of the other guys he wasn’t used to, was a pretty big deal. Had to call in favors but everyone just said go. No one there batted an eye. They all seemed to know what a big deal this was somehow.
We set it for a little later in the evening so I could get things in proper working fashion up front of the house and then head over. Any of you who have worked in a restaurant know that smell you get. Kind of need to have worked in that environment to know I guess. So that night, I didn’t have time to head home then come back. So I had a change of clothes and a vanity bag so I could clean up in the back. Wouldn’t be the first time I got sprayed down by the dishwasher but probably a first for this reason. Cleaned up pretty well, freshly shaved and quaffed, walking so far above Cloud 9 I lost track of which one I was on. Headed out to put the work kit and bag in the truck. On the way out a few who knew what had been going on smiled or waved.
And off I went. I was a little late but she said she had expected it given the night of the week. Back then, downtown Denver was different. Colorado was different. I guess everywhere was different back then. But in this instance, I mean in an architectural way. You didn’t have the towers all around LoDo as you do now. From some rooftops you could still watch a sunset over the mountains. Say what you will, even I have to admit that a purple and orange sunset over the mountains is quite possibly the most beautiful natural thing I have seen. It is immense but oh so fleeting. Just like our lives I guess. You could still hear birds and bugs over cars at times. I wouldn’t say it was peaceful but it was at least calm?
She was lucky as her apartment, though smallish, came with a hidden bonus. Her window allowed her to access the roof on the next building. A part of it anyway. But this little slice of hidden wonder allowed a view down Market Street, across Spear, over Auraria and then the mountain view. It was stunning. Like the apartment, the space was just cozy enough for two to enjoy a little rooftop barbeque and dining. She gave me the quick tour and we poured some wine. She was going through the menu as we “headed outside”. The door was a small little window. I remember scratching my head and thinking I may not fit out there. She handled it with the grace of a ballerina and said I could do it. It took a minute or two but I contorted my clumsy self outside. And she was right. It was spectacular.
Not just the view but what she had done with her little corner of peace. She had talked with the building owner who agreed that she could use this space as he didn't even know about it. It was like something out of a commercial today. A nice little seating couch type niche. Well built trellis with some small Christmas lights for effect. A little brick grilling area with a hibachi going. I can still smell it. The table with candles and dinnerware. Decking. I was taken aback. The way it was situated insulated her from the sounds down below. You could hear them but it was almost like distant white noise. It was just peaceful. I remember remarking about this. She said she discovered it by accident when her son thought it might be a good play area.
Dinner was wonderful. The night went on. There wasn’t a sense of time. Just us there in that little part of the universe that was only hers. To this day I do not think I felt that safe before anywhere nor since. Someone was letting me into one of their most sacred spots. Literally and figuratively. I felt privileged. Almost as though I was treading somewhere I shouldn’t be. I think that thought was my downfall however. Don’t worry dear Reader, you will understand all that very soon. We watched that sunset. It was perfect. The right contrast of colors. Just the right amount of clouds to change those colors ever so slightly. A reminder of how something can change for the simplest of reasons.
As night grew darker it started to get cold. The goosebumps we were feeling on each other's skin holding hands and looking at the stars weren’t just from feelings. It was getting cool so we moved inside. After safely dousing the grill and making sure the coals were in their proper place, we cleaned up. Since it was easier, I stayed outside and handed them into the house to her. We figured it would be safer for the dishes. Giggled some more as we came to realize more and more things about each other at the same time. Finally the outside was clear. I stood outside for another minute to take in what was happening. I think that is then that little bit of fear weeded its way in without my realizing it. This was as close to perfect as I could ever dream I thought.
After squeezing back inside, assisted again but ok with that, we cleaned up the dishes and opened another bottle of wine. The inside was just as cozy. At some point she had lit some more candles and had some soft music going. Light jazz if I remember. Not loud at all. Again, there, just outside the periphery. Sitting on the couch I can feel her sitting next to me. We are close. Two people holding each other wanting to believe but not sure if this is real. There was almost a vibration. The constant goosebumps were not because of the cold anymore. Once we were both comfortable and we just talked. For hours and hours. There were the intimate moments but nothing scandalous. A tenuous kiss from one to the other.
We talked about what two people talk about who truly want to know the other. I believe we asked as many honest questions of ourselves as we did of the other. We really, truly, wholly wanted to know each other. And that is what we did. The more we talked the more comfortable we felt. Each of us had our scars that were not easily revealed. Nor did we reveal all of them that night and guarded them well. But we each wanted to know if the other was someone we could trust with those deepest places that we all hide in the darkest parts of our soul.
We talked a little about her son’s father but not in depth. It was easy to see that was one of the scars. We talked about her son. Why she was so astonished that first day. My heart wrenches this very moment dear Reader upon remembering that. Her hopes for him. His likes and his dislikes. Some of the stories parents tell others to embarrass their children later in life. We talked about what futures there could be not for us but for him and his world. He really was an amazing kid and I am sure has grown up to be someone she can be proud of. Time did not exist that night. Feelings and thoughts were exchanged that did not need to be said. We just knew each other that night.
We never did finish the second bottle if memory serves, we talked, laughed and sat together in peaceful comfort and gave no care about anything else. But tomorrow was coming as it always does and we had to leave each other. I remember the closeness as we held each other. The pressure of two bodies at that singular moment in time. That one instant that feels as though it could last through infinity. When two become one and feel the safety, love, compassion, trust and sameness that is rarely, if ever experienced.
Pardon me dear Reader but must ask a moment to compose myself. We are getting close to the end of my tale so also ask for just a bit more of your time. I know how so very precious it is. Thank you for allowing me to continue.
I do not know how long we held each other. To this day I wish it had been so much longer however. I do remember leaving. Working where I did, I was sadly but actively very familiar with many different levels and types of inebriation. That feeling that morning however was something that surpassed all that I had experienced in my life. I had never felt like this. I knew that the sun was starting to come up as I parked my car. I knew that I got through the door, downstairs and then fell asleep. I wasn’t drunk. It was pure. A pure love, happiness, joy and trust I had never felt from someone else. This feeling was so powerful it had knocked me for a loop that I just was not ready for.
I awoke later that day, thankful I didn’t have to work. It was late in the afternoon and I felt like I had been hit by a bus but didn’t care. I believe that the night before we both had excised many things that we had held inside for so long. I could (and can) still remember the whole night if not the words. I felt like one does after you give everything physically possible to something and have nothing left to give. But it felt right. Regardless of the ending, I do believe that, even though brief, that night, two people who had needed to find each other did. I think they needed to know that there was at least one person who understood, even if they hadn’t needed to actually say anything.
Now dear Reader I must ask you to remember that part about fear. Given my early life and life up to that point and to this day, I do find it very hard to trust. So this was something I had to confront. And so I started to. Instead of seeing what she saw in me, I saw the things I thought were ugly. I got scared that those scars would be peeled away and she would be repulsed. And these thoughts and fears grew. We still saw each other and talked for a while after that night. But my fear took over quickly. Before I knew it I had driven her away. There was no maliciousness about it. The thoughts that had ruled my life for so long before her and then after her, to this day, always got to the same thing. If you let her in, she will leave because of who you are. It was idiotic but it was ingrained at this point. I eventually told her I didn’t think it was going to work out. The truth was that I was scared. Scared to let her in. I hated myself for not being honest with her. She would have understood. Probably more than any other.
After that, I went on with my life as a young person does in that atmosphere. I saw her one time after that final talk. She waved as she and her son sat in a section away from mine. I waved back and remembered going out back and beating the hell out of our cooler there. I was so mad at myself then. While the anger passed as life threw one thing at me after another as it does until I find myself here today writing this, the pain of losing her has never healed. Nor do I want it to. That pain also brings memories that I so rarely experience anymore. I buried it for a long, long, long time but recently I find myself thinking about her and her son more and more. What would have been?
For you see dear Reader, that moment was my perfect chance. Not long ago in my life I was diagnosed with cancer. I eventually beat it but it has long since ruined my life. But that is not why I tell this tale. I ask for no sympathy. My life is where I am supposed to be. I have come to peace with that. To an extent I guess anyway. The reason it was my perfect chance is this. I was also diagnosed with a genetic defect which essentially makes me a cancer producer with no natural way to fight it. My mothers father died of colon and pancreatic cancer. My Mother has beaten 5 different bouts of cancer. I have been tested and confirmed. So if I had had a child, I would more than likely have passed that to them. After listening to what my mother watched her father go through. After watching my own Mother fight this monster 5 times and win each time. After all that I was horrified to learn that I could have passed this monster to someone I would have loved with all my heart.
I never married and never had a child. For most of my life I regretted that most of all to the point of shame. I am the last person in my familial lineage that will ever carry my name. My line dies with me. For the longest time that has been a great burden. However, after the geneticist confirmed me and a great deal of internal contemplation, with the aid of hindsight, part of me is glad that I never had a wife and child who would have to go through the horrors I have heard about, watched and gone through first hand and personally. That at least brings me a modicum of inner peace. Do not be fooled ever though. This monster is evil. It takes everything from all but the luckiest.
And I had my moment of perfect chance. Even though I did not know it at the time, I had an opportunity to spend the rest of my life with two someones who I truly believe to this day, loved me. Even if for so very briefly. I gave up the chance to be able to be a husband and care for someone I believe I loved and loved me. I had a chance to be the father I wanted to be without passing on my monster. To see a child grow into their best self. I get angry at times that I did this. Not necessarily my own selfish needs. I am also mad that this person trusted me and I couldn’t do the same in the end. That I let a child down who for his own reasons let me in when he shut others out. That we could have been the family we could have been. And I ran because I was scared. I can never forgive myself for doing that to them. This may sound selfish and perhaps it is but it is my history.
And now dear Reader we come to the end of my tale. Where it all began.
Her card.
I think you will understand why I put it away instead of taking it out after this. I mentioned that she was a designer. Her card is exquisite. I don’t need to see it to describe it. There is a silver cord ribbon wrapped around a waxed paper tied in a bow. It sparkles silver but is brittle after all the years. I can slide the card out carefully but don’t want to take a chance of damaging it. My hands aren’t the best anymore. The writing on the card is done with a most excellent penmanship in purple over white with black. The backing is white with the black used as border highlighting with purple as the border and main color. There is a bit of sparkle in one of the purples but not a garish amount. Just enough to catch the eye. The back is similar with details of her work at the time as well as some contact information. I don’t know if she did this on all of them, but there was a scent of her perfume that accompanied it for a while. It, like much else, has faded.
We all have a place to keep our most precious items. This one rarely leaves that place for me.
So in the really bad times dear Reader, I try to look at that card. I say try because it is very painful to try to do so. Today was one of those days and I wanted to share it. In the end I couldn’t get past the tears to look at it so returned it to its safety. Not really because of the pain. Believe me, the pain is there in vast amounts. But because of that first moment. I needed to remember what that feeling was like. I needed to remember what it is to look in another's eyes and see the whole universe and all its infinite possibilities. Some regrets, regardless of time, will always follow you. Be honest about that with yourself dear Reader. Today I needed to remember her and him. I needed that acceptance. That peace. That joy, That trust. That love.
This time however I needed to commit this to our history so that perhaps at least one other will read it and maybe it will impact somehow. This is not meant to be a moralistic tale. It is just a tale of love lost. A life that could have been different. I hope, dear Reader, that your life is filled with wonder and love. Do not miss a single chance in your life because of fear. Be cautious but be open. Your world is massive but also miniscule. The chances don’t happen often anymore so grab them and hold onto them when you can. Try to think of all possibilities and look through others' eyes. But most importantly. If you do find your perfect moment, do not let it go dear Reader. It may never come again.
That is the end of my tale. I thank you so much dear Reader. As I have said many times, your time is precious and I have taken enough. Safe journeys to you my friend.

Hey folks! I'm on Windows 10 with Windows Hello activated. Version info:
Edition Windows 10 HomeVersion 22H2Installed on ‎8/‎21/‎2020OS build 19045.3031Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.19041.1000.0
This isn't exactly a major problem, but it's inconvenient, and I can't figure out why it happens. I have set up my home's shared computer to automatically start up with no sign-in required (used netplwiz and turned off the password requirement, so if someone else turns it on to use it, they don't have to have my password/PIN to use it.) Once in a great while, it would still start up and require the password or, more recently, the PIN.
What's doubly strange is, it's been happening more often lately - it used to be that it would happen maybe once every 6 months or so. Most recently, this past week, it's actually happened twice. At first I thought it might be due to power outages (we had a big storm last night, power went out, but when I turned my computer back on after the storm, it logged right in with no problem. It wasn't until turning it on again this morning that it asked for the PIN, so power outages don't seem to be the answer? I don't know....)
I even did a search online, and everything I've found is that it isn't normal for it to ask for a login after turning off the login requirement, but the only help I find is "Make sure to disable your password requirement through netplwiz" which I've already done.
Anyone else ever encounter this, or know what the reason might be? Thanks in advance!
Edit to satisfy the bot:

• Model of your computer - Asus ROG G20CB
• Your Windows and device specifications - See above
• What troubleshooting steps you have performed - Sometimes a restart makes the PIN request go away, but generally, this isn't a "troubleshooting" sort of thing, I just have to enter my PW or PIN. I have already gone into netplwiz and re-activated the password requirement, restarted, then deactivated the password requirement, and upon the restart it no longer asks for it (but this fix doesn't last, as mentioned above, it invariably happens once in a while no matter what.)
• Any error messages you have encountered - It's not an error code, but an unexpected behavior.
• Any screenshots or logs of the issue: not an issue or error message, so nothing to screenshot. Just the regular login screen.

Whenever I attempt to boot up my desktop, the cpu light turns on the fan spins for a moment then stops, my keyboard headset and mouse all get no lights when they usually do. I already tried replacing the PSU and I'm stumped on what to do here. Other then a board shortage due to a power outage we suffered but I'm not directly on wall power going through a power strip. Any help would be much appreciated

https://imgur.com/a/vtbL83Q
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I got these three small metal figurines at Goodwill, two of which of the Notre Dame and the third of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. I put a quarter to show scale. They have no makers marks. They are also magnetic, but only with a very powerful magnet.
They appear to be pretty old due to the corrosion or something inside one of the Norte Dame's. They appear handmade or something since each of the Notre Dame's have small variations despite them being of the same building, so they were likely either damaged or not from a mold.
Located near Denver, Colorado.

Hello y’all just had a quick question, last night there was a power outage and my KT400 controller lost power, the ac and dc lights are on but the middle LED for the heartbeat patterns is not showing any life. Would anyone here know what that could possibly mean? Thank you!

Houston Internet Outage Suspicious???
I have three different providers and all three are down??? Is this an intentional internet blackout or are all three connected to the same sat feed??? I have redundancy so this won’t happen also on Thursday the power went out but I have a backup generator so didn’t loose power or internet but the power was restored and I lost all internet….seems very strange to me……

Houston Internet Outage Suspicious???
I have three different providers and all three are down??? Is this an intentional internet blackout or are all three connected to the same sat feed??? I have redundancy so this won’t happen also on Thursday the power went out but I have a backup generator so didn’t loose power or internet but the power was restored and I lost all internet….seems very strange to me……