Everything is named after the gods. All the planets, science, and trade. All the NASA "moon landings" named after Apollo the God of light. The statue of Liberty represents Helios the sun God. The Goddess Columbia reigns atop The U.S. Capitol building, and named after the Goddess The District of Columbia. MERCURY the messenger god meets you outside the Capitol building. The modern EMT symbol, and symbol from medicine comes straight from the Greeks, and the good Apollo's son teaching medicine to man. The snake emblem also reflects the Rod of Asclepius, widely used as the symbol of medical care worldwide. There are several theories as to its development; it is named for the Greek mythological figure Asclepius, who was said to have possessed healing power.
The American colonial revolutionary, Thomas Greenleaf, subtitled his newspaper "The Argus" after the mythological watchman and took the slogan "We Guard the Rights of Man."
The Pegasus appears frequently on stamps, particularly for air mail. In 1906, Greece issued a series of stamps featuring the stories from Hercules' life. Australia commemorated the laying of an underwater cable linking it to the island of Tasmania through a stamp featuring an image of Amphitrite.
The United States military has used Greek mythology to name its equipment such as the Nike missile project and the Navy having over a dozen ships named from Greek mythology. Greek mythology has been the source for names for a number of ships in the British navy as well as the Australian Royal Navy which has also named a training facility in Victoria called HMAS Cerebus. The Canadair CP-107 Argus of the Royal Canadian Air Force is named in honor of both the hundred eyed Argus Panoptes the "all seeing" and Odysseus' dog Argus who was the only one who identified Odysseus upon his return home.
In science and technology
The Apollo 16 lunar module on the moon Many celestial bodies have been named after elements of Greek mythology. The constellation of Scorpius represents the scorpion that attacked Orion and the scorpions that frighted the horses when Phaëton was driving the sun-chariot; while Capricorn may represent Pan in a myth that tells of his escape from Typhon by jumping into the water while turning into an animal - the half in the water turned into a fish and the other half turned into a goat. Demeter, a main-belt asteroid discovered by Karl Reinmuth on May 31, 1929, is named after the Greek goddess of fruitful soil and agriculture.[25]
The elements tantalum and niobium are always found together in nature, and have been named after the King Tantalus and his daughter Niobe. The element promethium also draws its name from Greek mythology, as does titanium, which was named after the titans who in mythology were locked away far underground, which reflected the difficulty of extracting titanium from ore.
The U.S. Apollo Space Program to take astronauts to the moon, was named after Apollo, based the god's ability as an archer to hit his target and being the god of light and knowledge.
Written more than two thousand years ago, texts by ancient Greeks still have a major impact on the modern militaries of today in numerous ways.
At the start of the Cold War, the then US secretary of state, George Marshall, read the histories of Herodotus and Thucydides, convinced that the events of the Peloponnesian War and the fall of Athens were worthy of review in those unprecedented times when the United States and Russia— the Athens and Persia on the contemporary age, faced each other in conflict.
Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War is still studied at many military academies, including West Point, the Command and Staff College of the US Marine Corps, and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Recruits at army and naval colleges are encouraged to study what the text has to say about strategic leadership, garnering support in a protracted war and the impact of biological warfare.
The “Melian Dialogue” is considered particularly important, containing the Athenians’ justification for conquering Melos in what was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the late 5th century BC.
Also known to have studied Greek military texts are Colin Powell and David Pet­raeus, whose fall from grace in 2012 after the revelation that he had leaked classified information to his mistress has often been noted in Sophoclean terms. It did not go unnoticed at the time that “Petraeus” was the name of a centaur, a half-man, half-horse figure of Greek myth, renowned for his sexual appetite.
But Greek text also have a therapeutic nature for the military, as well as victims on the other side of the conflict.
The Greek tragedies of Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides continue to provide a powerful lens through which soldiers heal after returning from conflict. In his recent book, The Theater of War: What Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Teach Us Today, Bryan Doerries describes his work with Theater of War, a traveling drama collective that performs Sophocles’s most intense explorations of the psychological impact of war for US soldiers and veterans.
USS Prometheus USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), a United States Navy nuclear-powered radar picket submarine, was the first vessel to execute a submerged circumnavigation of the Earth (Operation Sandblast), doing so in early 1960.
The mythological Greek god Triton was the messenger of the seas. He's usually represented as a merman.
This can be associated with Triton because it explores the seas and it was the first submarine to go around the Earth.
Greek mythology in the military The Nike Missile Project was a U.S. Army Project proposed in 1945 and finished in 1953. The Nike Zeus, Hercules, and Ajax. Nike was the Greek God of Victory and can be associated with speed. It was made to shoot down jet aircraft.
Nike Missile Project USS Medusa (AR-1) was the United States Navy's first purpose-built repair ship. She served in the U.S. Navy from 1924 to 1946. Medusa wasa gorgon. Whoever looked in her eyes was turned to stone. Medusa can Be Associated with the ship because it was the first type of ship, like Medusa was the first mortal gorgon sister.
Gorgon Stare is a video capture technology developed by the United States military[1]. It is a spherical array of nine cameras attached to an aerial drone.[2] The US Air Force calls it "wide-area surveillance sensor system"
HMAS Cerberus has always been Navy personnel training. With the establishment of four tri-service schools over the last 13 years, this role has been extended to training Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. Cerberus was Ares' three headed hellhound which had a serpent's tail, a mane of a snakes, and a lion's claw. This can be associated with the military because it is a military base that trains 3 different branches (like Cerberus' three heads)
The Argus was made for the Royal Canadian Airforce. In its early years, the Argus was reputedly the finest anti-submarine patrol bomber in the world. Argus was Odysseus' dog, the only one to recognize Odysseus when he first got back. The airplane can be associated with Argus the dog because it detects submarines/hidden things. Like Argus when he was the only one to detect Odysseus.
Canadair CP-107 Argus USS Prometheus (AR-3) was a repair ship that served the United States Navy during World War I and World War II.
Prometheus was a Titan, not a god. He is known to have given the mortals fire. Prometheus joined the Gods in the Titan war, instead of the Titans.
It can be associated with the Titan in the way that it repairs other ships and helps them, like how Prometheus helped out mortals by giving them fire.
HMAS Cerberus
USS Triton
USS Medusa
What is Project NIMBUS? Lightning has long perplexed scientists. Not only are atmospheric scientists unsure of exactly what initiates lightning, but they also don’t understand precisely how and why it is able to propagate over great distances, and where it will strike. That makes it, in DARPA’s view, “one of the major unsolved mysteries in the atmospheric sciences.”
First up is a fascinating request for proposals from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, who is looking to build a “Positioning System for Deep Ocean Navigation.” It has the handy acronym of POSYDON.
POSYDON will be “an undersea system that provides omnipresent, robust positioning” in the deep ocean either for crewed submarines or for autonomous seacraft. “DARPA envisions that the POSYDON program will distribute a small number of acoustic sources, analogous to GPS satellites, around an ocean basin,” but I imagine there is some room for creative maneuvering there.
The idea of an acoustic deep-sea positioning system that operates similar to GPS is pretty interesting to imagine, especially considering the strange transformations sound undergoes as it is transmitted through water. To establish accurately that a U.S. submarine has, in fact, heard an acoustic beacon and that its apparent distance from that point is not being distorted by intervening water temperature, ocean currents, or even the large-scale presence of marine life is obviously quite an extraordinary challenge.
As DARPA points out, without such a system in place, “undersea vehicles must regularly surface to receive GPS signals and fix their position, and this presents a risk of detection.” The ultimate goal, then, would be to launch ultra-longterm undersea missions, even establish permanently submerged robotic networks that have no need to breach the ocean’s surface. Cthulhoid, they will forever roam the deep.
U.S. naval forces need a way to project key capabilities in multiple locations at once, without the time and expense of building new vessels to deliver those capabilities.
DARPA has initiated the Hydra program to help address these challenges. Named for the multi-headed creature from Greek mythology, Hydra aims to develop a distributed undersea network of unmanned payloads and platforms to complement manned vessels. The system would integrate existing and emerging technologies in new ways to create an alternate means of delivering various capabilities above, on and below the ocean’s surface. The goal is to create a force multiplier that enables rapid, scalable and cost-effective deployment of assets close to the point of use

LPI (LP Information)' newest research report, the “Rugged Servers Industry Forecast” looks at past sales and reviews total world Rugged Servers sales in 2022, providing a comprehensive analysis by region and market sector of projected Rugged Servers sales for 2023 through 2029. With Rugged Servers sales broken down by region, market sector and sub-sector, this report provides a detailed analysis in US$ millions of the world Rugged Servers industry.
This Insight Report provides a comprehensive analysis of the global Rugged Servers landscape and highlights key trends related to product segmentation, company formation, revenue, and market share, latest development, and M&A activity. This report also analyzes the strategies of leading global companies with a focus on Rugged Servers portfolios and capabilities, market entry strategies, market positions, and geographic footprints, to better understand these firms' unique position in an accelerating global Rugged Servers market.
This Insight Report evaluates the key market trends, drivers, and affecting factors shaping the global outlook for Rugged Servers and breaks down the forecast by type, by application, geography, and market size to highlight emerging pockets of opportunity. With a transparent methodology based on hundreds of bottom-up qualitative and quantitative market inputs, this study forecast offers a highly nuanced view of the current state and future trajectory in the global Rugged Servers.
This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of Rugged Servers market by product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions and countries.
The global Rugged Serversmarket size is projected to grow from US$ 94 million in 2022 to US$ 162.1 million in 2029; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 162.1 from 2023 to 2029.
https://www.lpinformationdata.com/reports/620116/rugged-servers-2029
The main participants
Core Systems
Crystal Group,Inc.
Mercury Systems Inc.
Systel, Inc.
Trenton Systems, Inc.
Dell Technologies Inc.
CP Technologies
Emet OEM Solutions
Sparton Rugged Electronics
NCS Technologies,Inc.
Siemens
Acme Portable Machines, Inc.
Beltronic IPC
General Micro Systems, Inc.
Kontron AG
Symmatrix Pte Ltd
Getac
Segmentation by type
Semi-Rugged
Fully-Rugged
Ultra-Rugged
Segmentation by application
Aerospace
Military
Industrial
Energy & Power
Others
Key Questions Addressed in this Report
What is the 10-year outlook for the global Rugged Servers market?
What factors are driving Rugged Servers market growth, globally and by region?
Which technologies are poised for the fastest growth by market and region?
How do Rugged Servers market opportunities vary by end market size?
How does Rugged Servers break out type, application?
What are the influences of COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine war?
LP INFORMATION (LPI) is a professional market report publisher based in America, providing high quality market research reports with competitive prices to help decision makers make informed decisions and take strategic actions to achieve excellent outcomes.We have an extensive library of reports on hundreds of technologies.Search for a specific term, or click on an industry to browse our reports by subject. Narrow down your results using our filters or sort by what’s important to you, such as publication date, price, or name.
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Genre: Trance/Tech Trance/Psy-Trance/Hard Trance/Acid/Progressive Trance Country of the performer (group): Netherlands Year of publication: 2013-2022 Audio codec: MP3 Rip type: tracks Audio Bitrate: 320 kbps Duration: 02:15:05:57
A new movement has come out of the underground. Thanks to dedicated and passionate fans, the sound of "Who's Afraid of 138?!" has grown significantly. What started as a joke on Armin van Buuren's A State of Trance radio show has grown into a worldwide event. And that's why a separate label was dedicated to the rushing bass of faster and louder inspirational trance melodies: Who's Afraid of 138?!
[WAO138001] Armin van Buuren - Who's Afraid Of 138! (2013) [WAO138002] Andrew Rayel & Alexandre Bergheau - We Are Not Afraid Of 138 (2013) [WAO138003] John O'Callaghan - Riders Of Rohan (2013) [WAO138004] Wach - The Queen (2013) [WAO138005] Simon Patterson - Brush Strokes (2013) [WAO138006] Alexandre Bergheau - Call Me Up (2013) [WAO138007] Photographer - Night Lights (2014) [WAO138008] John Askew - Shine (2014) [WAO138009A] Wach - Carthage (2014) [WAO138010A] Amir Hussain & Allen Watts - Step Into My World (2014) [WAO138011A] Armin van Buuren & Andrew Rayel - EIFORYA (Talla 2XLC 140 Remix) [WAO138012A] James Dymond - Siren's Song (2014) [WAO138013A] Ally Brown & Rob van Arden - The Next Page (2014) [WAO138014A] Will Atkinson & Paul Webster - Watch It Burn (2014) [WAO138015A] Simon O'Shine & Ahmed Romel - L'Absente (2014) [WAO138016A] Alex van ReeVe & Geert Huinink - Natalie (2014) [WAO138017A] The Thrillseekers vs. Standerwick - Like They Used To (2014) [WAO138018A] Matt Bukovski - Nothing To Fear (2014) [WAO138019A] Standerwick & Allen Watts - Next Generation (2014) [WAO138020A] ReOrder & Darren Porter - The Void (2014) [WAO138021A] Gaia - Empire Of Hearts (Johann Stone Remix) [WAO138022A] Allen & Envy and Allen Watts - Kardia (2014) [WAO138023A] Jonathan Carvajal & Andres Sanchez - Teardrops (2014) [WAO138024A] Simon Patterson feat. Sarah Howells - Dissolve (Freedom Fighters Remix) [WAO138025A] Photographer - Rebound (2014) [WAO138026A] Ucast - LAX (2014) [WAO138027A] Allen Watts - Kepler (2014) [WAO138028A] Ben Nicky & Standerwick - Drop (2014) [WAO138029A] Onova - Aurora (2014) [WAO138030A] Armin van Buuren - Hystereo (Wach Remix) [WAO138031A] UCast & George Kamelon - Jump (2015) [WAO138032A] Arisen Flame - Hyper (2015) [WAO138033A] Allen Watts - Gravity (2015) [WAO138034A] Johann Stone - Aeris (2015) [WAO138035A] Robert Nickson - Spiral 2015 (2015) [WAO138036A] Driftmoon - Lights Will Guide You Home (2015) [WAO138037A] Abstract Vision & Aimoon - #Energy (2015) [WAO138038A] Andy Moor & RAM feat. Christina Novelli - All Gone (RAM Uplifting Mix) [WAO138039A] Pulser - My Religion (Astuni & Manuel Le Saux Re-Lift) [WAO138040A] A.R.D.I. & Leolani - The Light (2015) [WAO138041A] Sean Tyas - Reach Out (2015) [WAO138042A] Coming Soon!!! feat. Michele Adamson - Keeping The Faith (2015) [WAO138043A] Ben Nicky - Red Alert (2015) [WAO138044A] Signum - Blockbuster (2015) [WAO138045A] Jase Thirlwall - Glow (2015) [WAO138046A] Amir Hussain - Kyoto (2015) [WAO138047A] A & Z vs. Amir Hussain - Dizzy Heights (2015) [WAO138048A] Seven Lions - Cusp (2015) [WAO138049A] John Askew - Shine (Sean Tyas Remix) [WAO138050A] John O’Callaghan feat. Sarah Howells - Find Yourself (Standerwick Remix) [WAO138051A] Scott Bond & Charlie Walker - Apocalypse (2015) [WAO138052A] Coming Soon!!! - Innocence Lost (2015) [WAO138053A] Amir Hussain & Robert Nickson - Nevada (2015) [WAO138054A] Armin Van Buuren presents Rising Star - Clear Blue Moon (Will Rees Remix) [WAO138055A] Saad Ayub & Jennifer Rene - Move On (2016) [WAO138056A] Driftmoon - Moving The Mountains (2016) [WAO138057A] Sean Tyas - Reach Out (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix) [WAO138058A] Chris Schweizer - Scorpion (2016) [WAO138059A] Heatbeat - Magical Princess Owl (Jordan Suckley Remix) [WAO138060A] Amir Hussain - Time Lapse (2016) [WAO138061A] Allen Watts - Meteor (2016) [WAO138062A] Ben Gold feat. Christina Novelli - All Or Nothing (Allen Watts Remix) [WAO138063A] Marlo - Darkside (2016) [WAO138064A] Simon Patterson & Magnus - Evoke (2016) [WAO138065A] Audioleap - Spark (2016) [WAO138066A] Jase Thirwall feat. Victoria Shersick - I'll Still Have You (2016) [WAO138067A] Cold Rush - Blue Gold (2016) [WAO138068A] Mark Sixma & Emma Hewitt - Restless Hearts (Ben Nicky Remix) [WAO138069A] Zac Waters - Silent Cartographer (2016) [WAO138070A] Chris Schweizer - Renegade (2016) [WAO138071A] Signum - Knock Knock (2016) [WAO138072A] Heatbeat - Imperio (2016) [WAO138073A] Exis - The Count (2016) [WAO138074A] Scott Bond vs. Adam White - Exodus (2016) [WAO138075A] Mark Sixma presents M6 - Fuego (2016) [WAO138076A] Standerwick & Chris Schweizer - Predator (2016) [WAO138077A] Marlo - Join Us Now (2016) [WAO138078A] Cold Rush - Unlimited (2016) [WAO138079A] Ben Nicky & Chris Schweizer - The Switch (2016) [WAO138080A] Saad Ayub feat. Fenja - Ever After (2016) [WAO138081A] Driftmoon - From The Ashes (2016) [WAO138082A] Heatbeat - Test Your Might (2016) [WAO138083A] ReLocate - Rogue (Robert Nickson 2016 Reboot) [WAO138084A] Chris Schweizer - Sub Zero (2016) [WAO138085A] Matt Bowdidge - Nostalgia (2016) [WAO138086A] Ben Nicky - Hectic (2016) [WAO138087B] Chris Schweizer & Heatbeat - Samurai (2016) [WAO138088B] Coast 2 Coast feat. Discovery - Home (Scott Bond & Charlie Walker GC23 Remix) [WAO138089B] Matt Bukovski - Agni (2016) [WAO138090B] Ben Gold - Atomic (Remixes) [WAO138091B] Heaven's Cry - Phunk (Stimulator Mix) [WAO138092B] Ben Gold - Where Life Takes Us (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix) [WAO138093B] Warriors - Warriors EP (2017) [WAO138094B] Mike van Fabio - Peacemaker (2017) [WAO138095B] Vincent De Moor - Fly Away (Mark Sixma presents M6 Remix) [WAO138096B] Chris Schweizer - Lithium (2017) [WAO138097B] RAM - RAMexico (2017) [WAO138098B] Sneijder & Christina Novelli - Love Of My Control (Sam Jones Remix) [WAO138099B] Berg - Randa (2017) [WAO138100B] Chris Schweizer - Shadows (2017) [WAO138101B] Talla 2XLC & Allen Watts - Helix (2017) [WAO138102B] Exis - Mantra (2017) [WAO138103B] Ahmed Romel vs. A & Z - Revive (2017) [WAO138104B] Signum - Euphoric Hope (2017) [WAO138105B] DRYM & Jennifer Rene - Smile (Amir Hussain Remix) [WAO138106B] M.I.K.E. Push - Sonorous (2017) [WAO138107B] Andrew Rayel - Tacadum (2017) [WAO138108B] Chris Schweizer - Loaded (2017) [WAO138109B] Cold Rush vs. F.G. Noise - Raven (2017) [WAO138110B] ReOrder & Driftmoon - #Slovakboys (2017) [WAO138111B] Allen Watts - Arizona (2017) [WAO138112B] Scott Bond & Charlie Walker vs. Trouser Enthusiasts - Sweet Release (2017) [WAO138113B] Ben Nicky - Cobra (2017) [WAO138114B] Shinovi - Indian Summer (2017) [WAO138115B] DARVO - Kyokushin (2017) [WAO138116B] Mark Sixma presents M6 - Heartbeat (2017) [WAO138117B] David Forbes - Nudge (2017) [WAO138118B] DRYM - Wraith (2017) [WAO138119B] Heaven's Cry - Voices (2017) [WAO138120B] Solarstone vs. Scott Bond - 3rd Earth (Scott Bond & Charlie Walker REBOOTED Mix) [WAO138121B] Chris Schweizer - Atom (2017) [WAO138122B] RAM - RAMbassador (2017) [WAO138123B] Allen Watts & Alessandra Roncone - The Hymn (2017) [WAO138124B] The Cracken - Cold Fusion (2017) [WAO138125B] Exis - Survival (2017) [WAO138126B] Steve Allen & UDM presents Nightflyers - Nightflyers (2017) [WAO138127B] Jase Thirlwall - Lucent (2017) [WAO138128B] Standerwick - Into The Deep (2017) [WAO138129B] Tiddey - Futuna (2017) [WAO138130B] Ben Gold - Twilight EP (2017) [WAO138131B] Luke Bond - Gravity (2017) [WAO138133B] The Space Brothers - Shine (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix) [WAO138134B] Heaven's Cry - Binary (2017) [WAO138135B] Marco V vs. Signum - Lost World Anthem 2017 (2017) [WAO138136B] Darren Styles feat. Christina Novelli - Sun Is Rising (Ben Nicky Remix) [WAO138137B] Jorn van Deynhoven - Rising High (2017) [WAO138139B] Dogzilla - Without You (Will Atkinson Remix) [WAO138140B] Chris Schweizer - Rapture (2017) [WAO138141B] Catalyst feat. Sophie Moleta - Blood Moon (Scott Bond & Charlie Walker Remix) [WAO138142B] DRYM - Zulu (2017) [WAO138144B] Coming Soon!!! X Waio - Create The Machine EP (2017) [WAO138145B] Shinovi - Acid Heaven (2017) [WAO138146B] Warriors feat. S&L - Dana (2017) [WAO138147B] Beatsole - Shimla (2017) [WAO138148B] Exis - The Ritual (2017) [WAO138149B] Heaven's Cry - Raw (2017) [WAO138150B] Talla 2XLC - It Makes Me Wonder (2017) [WAO138151B] Signum - Dr. Evil's Revenge (2017) [WAO138152B] Alchimyst feat. Staccato - Deva (2017) [WAO138153B] Steve Dekay - Radhe (2017) [WAO138154B] Shadow Chronicles - Love & Light (2017) [WAO138155B] UCast - It's A Trap (2017) [WAO138156B] Marco V - Aranck (2017) [WAO138157B] Shinovi - Prologue EP (2017) [WAO138158B] Driftmoon & Allen Watts - Banshee (2017) [WAO138159B] Exis feat. Enya Angel - Free (2017) [WAO138160B] Onova - Revive (2017) [WAO138161B] Shogun - Skyfire (Steve Allen & Devon Colombage Remix) [WAO138162B] Chris Schweizer - The Wolf (2017) [WAO138163B] Andy Moor & Ashley Wallbridge feat. Meighan Nealon - Faces (Indecent Noise Remix) [WAO138164B] Dimibo feat. Ankit Sharda - Fortune & Glory (2018) [WAO138165B] Chris Schweizer & Indecent Noise - Signals (2018) [WAO138166B] Talla 2XLC - Affliction (2018) [WAO138167B] Dimibo - Junglerok (2018) [WAO138168B] The Cracken - Drive Away (2018) [WAO138169B] Allen Watts - Inferno (2018) [WAO138170B] Alchimyst - Sutra (2018) [WAO138171B] RAM - Africa (2018) [WAO138172B] Chris Schweizer - Damage Control (2018) [WAO138173B] Warrior - Warrior (Mark Sherry Remix) [WAO138174B] DT8 Project feat. Andrea Britton - Winter (Solis & Sean Truby vs Ultimate Remix) [WAO138175B] Heaven's Cry - Fusion (2018) [WAO138176B] Allen Watts - Midnight (2018) [WAO138177B] DRYM x Omnia - Ethereal (2018) [WAO138178B] The Space Brothers - Heaven Will Come (The Noble Six Remix) [WAO138179B] Craig Connelly feat. Roxanne Emery - This Life (2018) [WAO138180B] First State & Shinovi - Children Of The Masai (2018) [WAO138181B] Dogzilla - Dogzilla (Alex Di Stefano Remix) [WAO138182B] 2nd Phase - Elusion (2018) [WAO138183B] Beatsole & TH3 ONE - Maia (2018) [WAO138184B] Alchimyst - Shiba (2018) [WAO138185B] Will Rees - Blurred (2018) [WAO138186B] Sunset & Kiran M Sajeev - Just A Dream (2018) [WAO138188B] UCast & Kamelon - Wearout (2018) [WAO138189B] Heatbeat - Supersaw (2018) [WAO138192B] Standerwick - I've Been Thinking About You (2018) [WAO138193B] Chris Schweizer feat. Roxanne Emery - Under The Light (2018) [WAO138194B] Sean Mathews - Divinity (2018) [WAO138195B] Aly & Fila feat. Jwaydan - We Control The Sunlight (Dan Stone Remix) [WAO138196B] Lustral - Everytime (Sneijder Remix) [WAO138197B] RAM & Exis - Gladiator (2018) [WAO138198B] Shinovi - Kumai (2018) [WAO138199B] Jordan Suckley - C.Y.M (2018) [WAO138200B] Ben Gold & Audrey Gallagher - There Will Be Angels (Standerwick Remix) [WAO138201B] Chris Schweizer - Ascension (2018) [WAO138202B] Greg Downey - Retrograde (2018) [WAO138203B] Standerwick & Haliene - Deep End (Shinovi Remix) [WAO138204B] Jak Aggas - Russian Roulette (2018) [WAO138206B] Jordan Suckley - Do Or Die (Sam Jones Remix) [WAO138207B] Simon Patterson feat. Lucy Pullin - Fall For You (Cold Blue Remix) [WAO138208B] Allen Watts & Talla 2XLC - Equinox (2018) [WAO138209B] Warp Brothers - Time & Space (2018) [WAO138210B] DRYM - Voodoo (2018) [WAO138211B] Chakra - Home (Factor B's Back To The Future Remix) [WAO138212B] Bryan Kearney & Christina Novelli - By My Side (Craig Connelly Remix) [WAO138213B] Artento Divini feat. Ankit Sharda - Bengaluru (2018) [WAO138214B] Steve Dekay - Krishna (2018) [WAO138215B] Allen Watts - Algorithm (2018) [WAO138216B] Ultra Shock - The Sound Of E (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix) [WAO138217B] Chris Schweizer - The Order (2018) [WAO138218B] Danny Eaton - Resolution (2018) [WAO138219B] Sunlounger feat. Zara - Lost (Will Atkinson Remix) [WAO138220B] Jak Aggas - Playing With Fire (2019) [WAO138221B] Shinovi - Muriqui (2019) [WAO138222B] Allen Watts - Paradox (2019) [WAO138223B] Chris Schweizer & Heatbeat - Venom (2019) [WAO138224B] Leroy Moreno - Citadel (2018) [WAO138225B] Simon McCann & Matt Edwards - Meltdown (2019) [WAO138226B] Ben Gold & Sivan - Stay (Sneijder Remix) [WAO138227B] Arctic Moon - About You (2019) [WAO138228B] Radion 6 - Backstage (2019) [WAO138229B] Exis - Ascension In D Minor (2019) [WAO138230B] Chris Schweizer - Like This (2019) [WAO138231B] ReOrder & Exis - The Truth (2019) [WAO138232B] Dash Berlin With Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Man On The Run (WHITENO1SE & System Nipel Remix) [WAO138233B] Frank T.R.A.X. - Nebuchan (Radion6 Remix) [WAO138234B] Factor B - Anything (For You) [WAO138235B] Allen Watts - Contrast (2019) [WAO138236B] XiJaro & Pitch with LightControl - Whispers Of Time (2019) [WAO138237B] Scott Bond & Charlie Walker feat. Murica - Can You Hear The Sound (2019) [WAO138238B] Arksun - Arisen (Sean Tyas Remix) [WAO138239B] Maarten de Jong & Allen Watts - Caffeine (2019) [WAO138240B] Jase Thirlwall feat. Victoriya - Dust (2019) [WAO138241B] Simon Patterson feat. Lucy Pullin - Now I Can Breathe Again (Greg Downey Remix) [WAO138242B] Steve Dekay & Emanuele Congeddu - Astral (2019) [WAO138243B] Maarten de Jong & Woody van Eyden - Stroopwafels On Acid (2019) [WAO138244B] Leroy Moreno - Synchronicity (2019) [WAO138245B] Arctic Moon feat. Shuba - Cool In My Disaster (2019) [WAO138246B] Allen Watts & Christina Novelli - My Gravity (2019) [WAO138247B] The Space Brothers - Legacy (Sam Laxton Remix) [WAO138248B] John O'Callaghan - Striker (Liam Wilson Remix) [WAO138249B] DJ Kim - Jetlag (Ben Gold & Allen Watts Remix) [WAO138250B] Woody van Eyden & FAWZY - Emotions vs Reality (2019) [WAO138251B] Jak Aggas - I See You (2019) [WAO138252B] Mark Sixma - Requiem (Exis Remix) [WAO138253B] Ruben de Ronde X Yoel Lewis feat. Natalie Gioia - Madrigal (Solis & Sean Truby Remix) [WAO138254B] ReOrder - Escape The Ordinary (2019) [WAO138255B] Allen Watts & Steve Dekay - Hologram (2019) [WAO138256B] David Forbes - Monsoon (2019) [WAO138257B] RAM & Stine Grove - Saving Angel (2019) [WAO138258B] Pathfinders - Lost Generation (2019) [WAO138259B] Exis & Dimatik - Orchestral Acid (2019) [WAO138260B] Rated R - Forever (2019) [WAO138261B] Allen Watts - CDMX (2019) [WAO138262B] Shinovi & LUM1NA - El Dorado (2019) [WAO138263B] Berg - See It Coming (2019) [WAO138264B] Darren Porter & Jak Aggas - Transonic (2019) [WAO138265B] Allen Watts - Reboot (2019) [WAO138266B] Three Drives - Greece 2000 (WHITENO1SE Remix) [WAO138267B] Lost In Noise - Heeding The Call (2019) [WAO138268B] Simon Lee & Alvin - ATTN (2019) [WAO138269B] RAM presents RAW - Something Else (2020) [WAO138270B] Questia - Nexus Asia (Jak Aggas Remix) [WAO138271B] Snatt & Vix feat. Diana Leah - Soapte (Bogdan Vix & Claudiu Adam Mixes) [WAO138272B] Steve Dekay - Labyrinth (2020) [WAO138273B] ReOrder X onTune - Euforia (Euforia Festival 2019 Official Anthem) [WAO138274B] Futurecode & Roxanne Emery - Dancing In The Rain (Craig Connelly Remix) [WAO138275B] Tempo Giusto - Paradigm Shift (2020) [WAO138276B] David Forbes - Hold Me (2020) [WAO138277B] Ben Gold & Allen Watts - Stepback (2020) [WAO138278B] Jak Aggas - Skyrim (2020) [WAO138279B] Ben Gold X Ruben De Ronde - Era Festivus (Luminn & Gather Remix) [WAO138280B] Maarten de Jong - Intense (2020) [WAO138281B] Alexander Popov - Togu (2020) [WAO138282B] DRYM - Octagon, Hypnotic (2020) [WAO138283B] Ben Gold & Tempo Giusto - I Am The God (2020) [WAO138284B] Pathfinders - Asado (2020) [WAO138285B] Davey Asprey vs. Artento Divini - D.A.A.D. (2020) [WAO138286B] James De Torres - Polaris (2020) [WAO138287B] Maarten de Jong & Allen Watts - Hatseflats (2020) [WAO138288B] ReOrder - 6PM (2020) [WAO138289B] Ben Gold - Kingdoms (Artento Divini Remix) [WAO138290B] Shinovi - Synthetica (2020) [WAO138291B] Chris Schweizer - Don't Be Scared (2020) [WAO138292B] Steve Dekay & Vision X - Endurance (2020) [WAO138293B] Maarten de Jong vs. Corti Organ - Flash (2020) [WAO138294B] Tempo Giusto - Choose Your Fate (2020) [WAO138295B] Allen Watts & Steve Dekay - The Phuture (2020) [WAO138296B] ReOrder feat. Bo Bruce - We Are The World (2020) [WAO138297B] Eugenio Tokarev - Melifluo (2020) [WAO138298B] DJ Amadeus - Smash! (2020) [WAO138299B] Christopher Corrigan - Auspicious (2020) [WAO138300B] ReOrder and XiJaro & Pitch - Elevate (2020) [WAO138301B] Allen Watts & Roman Messer - Skyline (2020) [WAO138302B] Rob Mooney - Feelin' Electro (Tasso Remix) [WAO138303B] David Forbes - Splice (2020) [WAO138304B] Allen Watts feat. Gid Sedgwick - Another You (2020) [WAO138305B] Maarten de Jong - Tomahawk (2020) [WAO138306B] Mark Sixma presents M6 - Bad Dreams (2020) [WAO138307B] Chris Schweizer - Singularity (2020) [WAO138308B] Heatbeat - Feel Alive (2020) [WAO138309B] Allen Watts - High Voltage (2020) [WAO138310B] Tempo Giusto - The Oasis (2020) [WAO138311B] Maarten de Jong - Energy Crash (2020) [WAO138312B] K90 - Deliverance (Tempo Giusto Remix) [WAO138313B] Allen Watts & Chris Schweizer - Cabrones (2021) [WAO138314B] Maarten de Jong - Alone (2021) [WAO138315B] Chris Schweizer & Paul Denton - Hammer Time (2021) [WAO138316B] Artento Divini vs. Davey Asprey - D.A.D.A. (2021) [WAO138317B] Talla 2XLC & Allen Watts - Suburbia (2021) [WAO138318B] Coast 2 Coast feat. Discovery - Home (Maarten De Jong Remix) [WAO138319B] Ben Gold & Allen Watts - Change The World (2021) [WAO138320B] Tempo Giusto - In Another Life (2021) [WAO138321B] Super8 & Tab & Factor B - From Way Back (2021) [WAO138322B] Steve Dekay - Epic (2021) [WAO138323B] Cern - The Message (Ehren Stowers Remix) [WAO138324B] Envio - Time To Say Goodbye (South Of The Stars Remix) [WAO138325B] Allen Watts - Twister, Cyclone (2021) [WAO138326B] Olmec Heads - Magic Man (John Askew Remix) [WAO138327B] David Forbes - Equator (2021) [WAO138328B] Maarten de Jong - X2 (2021) [WAO138329B] Allen Watts & Kinetica - Vertigo (2021) [WAO138330B] Mark Sixma presents M6 & ReOrder feat. Sydnee Carter - Crash (2021) [WAO138331B] Masters & Nickson feat. Justine Suissa - Out There (Sean Tyas Remix) [WAO138332B] Paul Denton - Stomp (2021) [WAO138333B] David Forbes - Isolate (2021) [WAO138334B] Darren Tate vs. Jono Grant - Let The Light Shine In (Brian Cross & Abel Ramos Remix) [WAO138336B] Omnia & Ira - The Fusion (Blastoyz Remix) [WAO138337B] Allen Watts - Visions (2021) [WAO138338B] David Forbes - Sail (2021) [WAO138339B] XiJaro & Pitch - Party On (2021) [WAO138340B] David Forbes X Davey Asprey - Lonach (2021) [WAO138341B] Allen Watts & Silvela - Echoes (2022) [WAO138342B] John O'Callaghan feat. Lo-Fi Sugar - Never Fade Away (Maarten De Jong Remix) [WAO138343B] David Forbes - Delirio (2022) [WAO138344B] Onova - Ad Astra (2022) [WAO138345B] Chris Schweizer - The Other Side (2022) [WAO138346B] Sean Mathews - A Sign To Hope (2022) [WAO138347B] Tempo Giusto - The Unicorn Master (2022) [WAO138348B] John O'Callaghan & Kathryn Gallagher - Mess Of A Machine (Billy Gillies Remix) [WAO138349B] Maarten de Jong - Magnum Opus (2022) [WAO138350B] Allen Watts vs. Yoshi & Razner - Bohemia (2022) [WAO138351B] David Forbes - Take Me Up (2022) [WAO138352B] Davey Asprey - Revolution (2022) [WAO138353B] Maarten de Jong & Frank Spector - La Nuit (Maarten de Jong Mix) [WAO138354B] Christopher Corrigan - Sunlight (2022) [WAO138355B] Sneijder & Thomas Bronzwaer - Into The Light (2022) [WAO138356B] Maarten de Jong & Frank Spector - La Nuit (Frank Spector Mix) [WAO138357B] Allen Watts - Shadows (2022) [WAO138358B] UDM - Tremolo (2022) [WAO138359B] David Forbes - Octagon (2022) [WAO138360B] Klaus Kaz - In The Darkness (2022) [WAO138361B] Sneijder feat. Victoriya - Need You Here (2022) [WAO138362B] South Of The Stars - Void (2022) [WAO138363B] Woody van Eyden and IanT - Óskandi (2022) [WAO138364B] Allen Watts - Impulse (2022) [WAO138365B] Artento Divini X Davey Asprey pres. A.D.D.A. - Divos (2022) [WAO138366B] Everlight & Tasso present The Resistance - Freakin' (2022) [WAO138367B] Allen Watts - Dynamo (2022) [WAO138368B] Allen Watts - Avalon, Intuition (2022) [WAO138369B] Davey Asprey - Subversion (2022) [WAO138370B] David Forbes - Hybrid (2022) [WAO138371B] Kenny Palmer - Nightbourne (2022)
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https://specialfordjs.org/house/68838-label-whos-afraid-of-138-parent-label-armada-music-363-releases-2013-2022-320.html

The further we get from S14, the more I realize I love it. It is far and away my favorite post-S6 season. What's more, I even enjoyed it as it aired (!), and didn't have to learn to love it after the fact (as many of us did with S7 and S11). Why was S14 so great? Let's dive in.
(Also- I'm going to compare S14 to S15 a lot, b/c S15 is in my recent memory. This is not a S15 diss post!!! I have *moderately* enjoyed S15. It is better than S13 at least).
Possible reasons:

• Very strong cast that was edited well. I'd like to break down the idea of a "strong cast" a bit further. A "strong cast" doesn't just mean queens that are good drag queens or good at drag race. It means queens that are compelling characters to watch on drag race as a TV show. What are the characteristics that contribute to that?

1. Strong personality in werkroom/on stage, or being a good narratogiving good confessional (ex. Katya, Gia Gunn, Bianca Del Rio)
2. Edited to have coherent narrative that involves conflict and/or growth- either internal, with the show, or with another contestant (ex. Adore, Laganja, Gottmik)
3. Provide unique and/or emotionally compelling drag in segments of the show that allow queens to have individual creative authority (ex. Anetra's lip syncs, BendelaCreme's Snatch Games, Symone's runway package, Willow's talent show performance)
4. Provide stellar but standard performances in run of the mill challenges on the show (ex. Courtney's Rusical performance, Loosey's Joan Rivers Snatch Game, Bianca's roast set)
5. Deliver "so bad it's good" challenge performances, (ex. LalaRi's Bag Ball look, Kahmora Hall's acting challenge performance, Sugar and Spice's Snatch Games)

Let's compare a few season to see how queens stack up according to these characteristics. If a queen only somewhat fulfilled a characteristic, I put it in parentheses ().
​

Season 14	Season 6	Season 15
June Jumbalaya (1), 2	Magnolia 1	Irene (1)
Alyssa Hunter (3)	Kelly 5	Poppy
Kornbread 1, 2, 3	Vivacious 1, 3	Sugar 2, (3), 5
Orion (2)	April 3	Amethyst 3
Maddy (1), 2, 3	Gia 1, 2	Robin
Kerri 1, 3	Milk 1, 2, 3, (4)	Aura (1)
Jasmine 2, 3	Laganja 1, 2, (4)	Jax 3
Jorgeous (1), 3	Trinity 2, 3, (4)	Spice (1), 2, (3), 5
Deja, 1, 4	Joslyn 1, 2, 3, 4, 5	Malaysia (2)
Daya 1, 2, 3, 4	Bendela 1, 2, 3, (4)	Marcia 2, 3, (4)
Bosco 1, 2, 3, 4	Darienne 1, 2, 4	Salina 1, (2), (5)
Angeria 1, (3), 4	Courtney 1, 2, (3), 4	Loosey (1), 2, 4, (5)
Lady Camden 1, 2, 3, 4	Adore 1,2, 3, 4	Luxx 1, 2, 4
Willow 1, (2), 3, 4	Bianca 1, 2, 3, 4	Mistress 1, 2, 4
		Anetra 1, 2, 3, 4
		Sasha 1, 3, 4

​
Looking at S14 and S6 as compared to S15, a big difference we can see is that the early outs have multiple characteristics to their names, especially the number 1. characteristic- a big personality. Of course, S15 suffers *a lot* in this regard from its giant cast and shortened run time.
Another thing that S14 and S6 share is that most queens have the 3. characteristic- they showcase drag perspectives or performances that feel unique on Drag Race. Ex. Alyssa and April both have very strong and interesting runway packages. Kornbread delivered a stellar talent show performance. Vivacious, with her background in the NYC club kid scene, was a style of queen we hadn't seen on drag race before. This is another place that S15 really suffers- we just haven't seen most of the queens do anything really uniquely interesting this season. The only exceptions to that have been Anetra, Sasha, and Jax's lipsyncs, Marcia and Anetra's talent show performances, Sasha's first acting challenge, and, dare I say it... Amethyst's snatch game as Tan Mom (that one might be a personal preference lol).
Lastly, with S6 and S15, we can see that almost all of the late-out/finalist girlies have most of the characteristics. On S15, Anetra is the only one that does. I definitely think this a reason why she is so popular in the fandom right now. I also think this shows why Sasha has gotten less popular in the fandom as the season has gone on- she hasn't had any sort of narrative arc (characteristic 2) on the show. Even though Willow didn't have conflict with other girls or with herself on the show, in her confessionals, she presented the meta-narrative of having conflict with the show itself- she had to play the long game and gradually acclimate the judges and the show to the weirder and more interesting parts of her drag. Bianca, though she had a similar competitive arc (dominating the competition) and character archetype (statesman of drag, too big for the show) to Sasha, had a much stronger narrative arc- she had lots of conflict with the younger girls on the season, and gradually had to learn to care for them and not present herself as a stone cold b*tch. Sasha is amazing, and fully realized, and not afraid to be stupid from the get-go, and... not that interesting of a Drag Race character.
​

• This is more cut and dry- S14 had a lot of great lip syncs, from a lot of different queens, to multiple types of songs. (Again, contrast this to S15- we've had good lip syncs, but they've all been similar high energy pop numbers, delivered by the same 3 queens).

1. Deja in "Fallin'"
2. Jasmine in "Sugar Mama" (this was the only valid use of the floor hump move (Sorry, Anetra))
3. Lady Camden in "One Way or Another"
4. Jasmine and Jorgeous in "Something's Got a Hold on Me"
5. Camden in "Don't Let Go"

​

• Unique challenges, good performances from the cast in standard challenges, and challenges that manage to reference and make fun of the lore of the show without becoming entirely recursive.
• Unique challenges

1. Lip Sync Lalaparuza (since this is the first time we saw it in a non-all-stars season, with actual stakes attached to it)

• Good performances in "standard" challenges

1. "Menzeses" (this was the panel hosting challenge)
2. 60s Girl Groups
3. Moulin Ru: the Rusical
4. The Ross Matthews Roast (I'm not sure we've had such a large group of good roast performances since S5)

• Good "reference but not recursive" challenges

1. "She's a Super Tease"- allowed queens to poke fun at previous character archetypes and drama on the show, gave queens individual creative power to decide how they wanted to do it
2. "Save a Queen"- brought back queens that the audience could already connect with, let current queens interact with them and build commercials that played with and made fun of the moments they were known for on their original seasons.
3. "Daytona Winds"- made fun of the way the show's acting challenges had become somewhat earnest affairs in overracting that had moved away from the show's original premise of acting challenge as parody

Note: "Daytona Winds 2" in S15 is a great example of a Drag Race challenge that is *too* recursive.
​

• The judges, especially RuPaul, like this group of queens. There are a lot of queens this season that are confident onstage and in front of the judges (Willow, Bosco, Camden, Angeria, Deja, Daya, Kerri, Kornbread, Jorgeous), and this enables the judges to be more comfortable and playful with the contestants. For example, contrast S14's "Who murdered Snatch Game" scene to like... *all* of the judging on UK3. Completely different vibes, and S14's is eminently more enjoyable to watch. (For what it's worth, S14 is also relatively devoid of queen archetypes that Ru doesn't like, I'll get into that later though).

​

• S14 definitely *does* have pacing issues, but there are very few individual episodes that I don't care for. I don't care about the first ball, or the opening talent show episodes, but that's about it. As for queens not going home... the twist to bring back the first eliminated queens is redeemed by what a great character Daya makes herself into. The episodes where no one goes home, while stalling the momentum of the season, are individually some of the best episodes in the season, with various redeeming qualities (Daytona Wind, Menzeses, Snatch Game, Moulin Rouge). I think S14's competitive tension, much like S6, suffers the most in the last couple episodes- by the Ross Matthews Roast, the frontrunners (Willow, Camden) and finalists (Angeria, Bosco, Daya) are set. The major character arcs of the season have concluded. We don't lose much by losing Deja and Jorgeous. What remaining competitive tension might be salvaged in "Catwalk"- will Daya become a frontrunner? which of the top 5 will be eliminated?- is completely neutered by throwing another win to Camden and allowing a top 5. Bad job editors. That said, the top queens and their performances still make these episodes fun.

​

• The top 5 queens, for the most part, are strong characters, good performers, do interesting drag, and are edited well on the show, and the top 3 did things that were completely novel to the show.

​
Angeria is the only one who suffers here. Her competitive narrative on the show doesn't really progress beyond the first few episodes. She emerges as an early frontrunner and...that's about it. She's fun in confessionals, but she has a pretty laidback personality, so she doesn't get into fights with other girls and build her narrative that way. Her drag persona (backwoods glamorous pageant queen who has a bit of a silly edge) is fairly well-realized, familiar on the show, and established early on in the season. We don't learn anything new about Angeria after the first few episodes. She's a good enough performer to stay in the top for most of the season, but she's not quite canny enough to channel her own style or personality through the Drag Race challenges in ways that would make her stand out, beyond her initial talent show performance. The dichotomy between pageant glamour and a silly personality *is* interesting, but the show's not really interested in exploring that. On the runway, her aesthetic is top of the line pageant drag. It's good and lands on the side of "expensive and elegant" pageant-wear over "expensive and tacky" pageant-wear... but it is pageant-wear and we've seen it before. I don't know if Angie would be a great pitch for All Stars, and I don't know that her WtW would go outside the pageant-queen high-kick/strut box, but I would love to see her on a DragCon panel or a podcast.
Bosco's greatest virtue to the season is as a narrator- whether in challenges (Menzeses, Roast), confessionals, or on the main stage with the judges. Bosco's also not afraid to narrate her own inner turmoil (it is her brand of comedy), which is fantastic, given that her latter season arc has her ping-ponging between top and bottom placements in an ever more fragile metal state. Does her competitive narrative ever really have legs after the Rusical? Nope. Camden absolutely kneecaps her. And a standout Roast performance can only redeem so many bra and panty sets. But do I care? Nope. Bosco still makes the journey fun for us. What's more, we don't get many burlesque queens on the show that make it far, so while the bra and panty sets were repetitive unto Bosco, they still felt more interesting to me than a lot of Deja's takes that ranged in the "this popular drag designer made this for me and 20 other queens, but the other 19 paid more for it" and "Jiggly might have worn this on S4" styles, or the back half of Angeria's pageant closet. Even when Bosco's fashion was bad, it was interesting. That short short little wig? I still don't know how I feel about it. The last episode's crylon Judy Jetson space hooker hunger games mom, *with* the short short little wig? Nothing has ever been so delightfully crunchy. Bosco will be an absolute blast on all stars, the bras and panties will be ever more expensive, and she'll come a lovely 3rd alternate ala Jujubee.
Daya- rarely in recent seasons have we gotten a good villain storyline, even more rarely did the villain become an antihero, and never until Daya did we get a queen that battled back from: first bootness, a family connection to an earlier season queen the judges considered "superlative," and the producers' disinterest in her and dismissal as a filler queen. The fandom loves Daya and rightfully so. Daya showed in spite of all of that that she could produce great TV and be a great drag race queen. I would also count Daya's aesthetic eye as second only to Willow's this season (babydoll dresses aside. we all have our weaknesses.) Daya delivered several standout looks that took a defined aesthetic and gave it a distinctly Daya twist (chaps look, KISS look, catwalk video, final runway). I have no complaints with Daya, only with the producers' treatment of her. They continued to do her dirty! Her narrative would've been better served by a final win in "Catwalk," which in turn with her finale performance, should've propelled her to the final 2 over Camden. That aside, can't wait to see what she'll do on All Stars. Will she win? I have complete faith in Daya. I have 0% faith in the editors. Look for a weird joint-style win ala Trinity and Monet in All Stars 4.
​
Willow- there is no doubt to me that Willow ran S14 just as much as Symone ran S13 or Sasha is running S15, but it wasn't smothering in the way that 13 or 15 felt. Granted, Willow had better, more interesting competition. But Willow was also super savvy. She didn't need all the screentime or talk from competitors in the world to make it clear that she was a winner, not when she put her screentime to such good use. Though Willow was comparatively quiet and laidback, she was never boring. (Her edit was a *little* boring. Just a steady upward trajectory. But sue me for liking a bitch who knows she's in her top era!). She was great in confessional, with a sense of humor- blunt, morbid, and a bit smug- not often seen on drag race. In drag, she showed that she could be a great drag race queen (Super Tease, Menzezes, ball challenges, Daytona Winds), great at fitting her own aesthetic into drag race challenge roles (Green Fairy in Moulin Ru, 60s Girl Groups), and most importantly, an interesting queen outside of drag race.
Any time that Willow was able to deliver her own signature drag on the show, she was doing something completely unique to what we've seen on Drag Race. Let's go through the highlights:

• Talent show performance: Willow's talent show performance is visceral in a great way- digging into spaghetti with bare hands, tossing it in the bath, tossing the toaster and then herself in the bath- these are all actions that evoke very strong emotions- gluttony, disgust, horror, fear- specifically as they connect to the body and physical sensation. These are not emotions the Drag Race (vs. Dragula) generally draws on. Disgust appears on drag race occasionally, but typically in cheap jokes that are pretty played out (ex. feigning disgust at the scent of a vagina). And for a show that is based around the malleability of the body, Drag Race is remarkably squeamish about bodily sensations beyond sexual arousal (ex. feigning an orgasm is always ok, but making a fart joke or wearing a dress with period blood is not). However, there's a good reason that drag outside of Drag Race is often interested in evoking negative emotions. Emotions like disgust, shame, horror, and fear are strong enough to produce bodily sensations, often the same ones that lust or love produce. The body and its nervous system are great at crossing wires, so this means that these negative emotions do often become sexual referents in the form of kink. Willow doesn't draw on that sexual association in her talent show beyond the aesthetic juxtaposition of a hot girl in a bikini shoving her face with pasta, but...
• She gets into it a bit more in her lyrics for "Bad Boy Baby"- "His body is splattered on the asphalt/Yeah but it's kind of hot/Like he dropped a hot bowl of spaghetti." The lyrics explicitly intertwine the emotion of lust with the body, gore, horror, and disgust.
• A couple of Willow's runways also play towards the emotions associated with kink, in a way we haven't seen on the show before. Again, for a show that plays a lot with sexual presentation and attraction, Drag Race doesn't give much due to fetish beyond the very mainstream themes of leather, latex, bondage, and whips. I'd really argue that these themes are so mainstream as to have become largely divorced outside of explicit BDSM settings from their invoked emotional referents- fear, pain, anticipation, helplessness- that provoke bodily sensation. Willow's latex hair wedgie Matrix outfit (wow what a combo of words), and hobble panty dress for the Heart On runway are fresh takes on kink on the show.
• A *lot* of Willow's runway presentation deals with bodily distortion and the separation of the body from a cohesive whole into its component parts (ex. the latex wedgie with disembodied hands to hold her hair, spring runway with head trapped in a house, 2nd ball challenge outfit with crazy long arms, Donatella lips on frills runway, all 3 finale outfits- intro catwalk, I hate people, final lipsync). And yet again, Drag Race has historically been willing to play with bodily proportion and distortion... but only in the hyper-feminine direction of more hips and tits, and played out plastic surgery jokes.

All this to say is a was a lot of fun to see Willow turn drag race tropes on their heads. And Willow's just really good. She's an underrated winner. I wouldn't want to see her on Drag Race again, or work the world. She's way too cool for the Drag Race brand. She would be cool even if she never did drag again. I will very happily go see anything she independently produces.
​
I've saved Camden for last, because if you thought this post was already way too long, watch me write another 5000 words about drag race and its relationship with male drag. But before I get into all that, let's talk about Camden as a drag race character.
If Daya is the girl production hated, Camden is the girl they loved. I love a hidden frontrunner storyline, and production did a great job with Camden's. Once her edit picked up steam in Daytona Winds, it didn't slow down again. Camden was the girl that got to gradually steamroll the other frontrunners (Daya- Daytona Winds, Catwalk (however dubious), Bosco- Lalaparuza, Moulin Ru), only to face defeat at the hands of her final competitor, Willow, at the finale. Where Willow found success at shaping her challenge roles to fit her already well-defined drag aesthetic, Camden was the rare contestant who successfully expanded her drag repertoire to fit the challenges.
Camden also benefitted from being an archetype we haven't seen much of on Drag Race. You could call her a theatre queen, but that's not really true to her personality or her edit. Off-Broadway queens on the show are generally edited to have an off-putting sense of delusion, desperation, and self-seriousness. Camden, with the confidence that came from actually having performed professionally for years, was none of these things. I read her as a better-realized and more interesting variety of Shuga Cain's or Gottmik's archetype- a queen that turned to drag for personal reasons after already achieving professional success in a separate sphere, fell absolutely in love with drag, and was still figuring out how their personality and performance translated between their in and out of drag selves. Camden had the *large* benefit over Shuga and Gottmik of entering drag with: - classical dance training and performance experience, - a much more interesting set of aesthetic references, -amateur acting and comedy experience. Camden was having just as much fun as Shuga at figuring out who she could be in drag, but she and the edit were much better at letting us know about it- like Bosco, she was great at narrating herself, which made for a really fun journey from week to week with her.
Her aesthetic and performance choices were also hilariously chaotic throughout the season. In situations where she had creative control, she might choose to: -repeatedly reference Bunheads (I cannot emphasize enough how much this was a choice), or she might completely rock a 90s London underground raver look and performance, or she might show up in very expensive Frozen cosplay, or she might provide the look of the night as a crystallized porcelain ballerina, or she might show up in a cotton candy meets Flintstones outfit of Salina-Estitties-bad proportions (love u Salina <3), or she might show up as a slutty horse, carriage, bridle, and all... the list goes on and I don't want it to end!
I also appreciate the level of commitment Camden displayed towards her more questionable choices; when Michelle advised against a joke about yelling into Ross's asshole for the roast, Camden made it longer for her set. When Camden showed up to the finale and started off with a questionable choice- pony play outfit of dubious proportions- she continued making questionable choices all the way through the final lipsync performance!
And for all that we learned about Camden's drag on S14, I feel there's still more to unpack. Rarely is Drag Race this good for a queen. I cannot wait to see Camden on All Stars. Will she win? She will make it to the finals. She will make it to the final lip sync. But I cannot tell you if she will give an incredible and captivating lip sync performance or if she'll choose to make another bunheads reference. Only time will tell.
Now to unpack the most interesting things Camden did on S14, and why they were cool to see on Drag Race. This is actually a bit similar to Willow- both Willow and Camden at their best work in similar ways against the way that Drag Race generally chooses to frame the nexus of sexuality, gender, and attraction.
The vast majority of gendered drag presentation that we see on drag race runs very femme, and by virtue of that, we see a lot of interpretations of female sexuality. It's usually straightforward- glamorous, sexy, and it's subversive mostly in the fact that it's a queer reclamation of female sexualities as seen by the male gaze. I would say this is a true even of the femme dom portrayals that we see on Drag Race (ex. Jaida in Madonna rusical)- it's a pretty mainstream and straight idea of what a femme dom is supposed to be. Less frequently we see straight or queer female sexualities centered in a women's gaze (ex Joey Jay <3). Rarely do we see hard butch, nongendered, or androgynous presentations- to the point that it *really* starts to stand out when we do (ex. Mo Heart's butch queen on UK vs the world, Victoria Scone's genderbend on Canada vs. the world, Raja's androgynous looks on All Winners).
Notice that these are all runway examples that I've cited. We really don't see looks that range past mild butch in challenges (Snatch Game excepted). Queens may be interested in exploring all this, but drag race as a production and the judges are not. As for masculine presenting drag, it's even more rare. Queens may go in boy drag for challenges, but almost never on the runway. This is key.
When queens are in boy drag in challenges (rare SG examples excepted), they are:

• playing male characters with no sexual presentation (ex. boy characters in the S15 Rusical, Alaska's pee-wee herman drag on S5 in the children's show skit)
• playing heterosexual male characters that depict hetero male sexuality as a completely hokey premise and joke (ex. mini challenges throughout the years, TMZ reporters room in comedy sketch in all stars 5)
• playing a "neutered" gay or effeminate man with no effective sexual potential when presented out of female drag (ex. Sasha in S15 Rusical)

Most often when the show needs to display masculine-presenting sexuality for a challenge, they use a pit crew member or an outside actor (ex. Leland in Moulin Ru, Danny Trejo in Daytona Winds 2). (Leslie Jordan is a lovely exception to this by virtue of being Leslie Jordan). Even here, these men are rarely presenting queer male sexuality. They are almost always playing it straight. (For more on the drag queen/gogo boy dichotomy, see How to be Gay, there's some paragraphs on this somewhere in there.)
To explain why drag race does this, Sasha's performance in the latest Rusical is key. As an effeminate man on the drag race stage (that's the label we'll use for Carl since he *is* straight(?) married to female Preacher Teacher- she's kinda more butch than him tho), Carl has no sexual power or potential in his male drag. Carl's frumpy clothes and Sasha's performance illustrate this pretty well. For the effeminate or queer man on drag race to unlock his sexual potential, he must put on femme-presenting drag. See: Carl in the final number once transformed into Ethel Sperman.
This is why we don't see masculine-presenting drag on the runway, especially drag that reads as queer masculine. The runway, being a *pure presentation of aesthetics and form,* is the most direct embodiment of the transcendence that drag allows for the long-shamed "feminine" aspects of queer male sexuality to their glorification and empowerment when presented in the male-as-female drag form.
(Note: there is a lot to unpack with the term "feminine" and its relation to queer male sexuality. I'll keep it short here and say that when I say "feminine" in this context, I'm referring specifically to the aspects of weakness/sexual submission that are often implied in the term, and become shameful or transgressive when juxtaposed with traditional ideas of male sexualities).
I think for Rupaul on the show, especially in the earlier seasons, the link between the shame of queer male sexuality and the transcendence of that sexual shame that could only be reached through glamorous, regal, sexual, feminine drag was really really strong. There is a reason the first 3 winners of the show all fit that ideal. I think that goes a *long* way towards explaining:

• why Ru had problems with trans queens being on the show (Ru's perspective: what is drag doing for you if you've already embraced and accepted the feminine pieces of you in a very visible way/ are you still doing drag if you're not achieving this specific variety of emotional catharsis through it)
• why Ru and the judges reacted so badly to Alaska's male drag on S5 and Milk's "werkroom Ru" on S6 (male drag can't be drag b/c feminine transformation and its emotional underpinnings are essential to my idea of what drag is)

At the time, these all seemed like things that undermined the central thesis of the show. This also explains:

• why Ru can't connect with mentally well-adjusted queens (why do drag if you aren't trying to solve your personal problems with it/you've already come to terms with your femininity)
• why Run can't connect with "theatre queens" (you're coming to drag from a professional angle instead of a personal angle, so i don't find your drag emotionally compelling)

Also! Who's the queen we see in male drag in challenges on the show the most? It's Ru! RuPaul! (ex. acting scenes on S6 final challenge, RudePaul on S10, court room reporter on All Winners). RuPaul doesn't go in drag on the show to play characters other than RuPaul the Glamazon, and he expects contestants to treat their drag the same.
Also!Also! There is clear reasoning for why Ru would feel this way about drag- the gay culture of the 90s and 00's was *so* different to today, and before drag race and the efforts of a lot of advocacy, there was a much larger stigma in the gay community towards feminine men, trans women, and drag queens. If you want to hear more about this I think Bianca or Courtney talk about it together on a podcast somewhere.
Drag race and RuPaul's allowance towards all these things has gradually changed thanks to awesome queens being on the show and fans wanting better for queens, but the effects of that viewpoint on the show are still really strong. So it's fun to Camden work against these ideas on S14.
To me, Camden's big standout moment is as Freddie Mercury on the runway and the "One Way or Another" lip sync. Camden's usual drag, as much as she goes towards any aesthetic, is very femme, Spice Girls-sexy. I don't find it particularly compelling, and I don't feel that she's adding much femininity or sexuality as compared to her character on drag race out of drag.
Freddie Mercury is different. Camden plays Freddie on the runway and in the lip sync very sexually. It is unequivocally a performance of powerful queer male sexuality. We really have not seen that on drag race before, especially on the runway. What's even better is how much fun Camden is having with it. You can really see the joy as she performs. She's having fun and feels more powerful in this queer male drag than her usual femme drag- and that in itself is incredibly empowering.
(Camden feeling more powerful in male drag works for the same reason that "Joey Jay is gay" does. Joey says as much in her lyrics, but there's a truth to it that goes beyond that. Like Camden, Joey is gay and femme enough already out of drag that her drag transformation might actually reveal more masculine or dominant aspects or her personality. If for a typical queen, drag goes something like "he's so gay she's straight," for Joey it goes "he's so gay she's masc.")
The same is true of Camden's other standout performances during the season. In the Lalaparuza, she has to lip sync against Bosco, the sexiest queen of the season, while not dressed in her super femme-presenting drag. As Camden puts it "how am I supposed to lip sync to this super soulful song dressed as Sonic the Hedgehog's bitch girlfriend?" But she makes the choice to perform the song sexually in spite of that, and she does it really well, to the point that the show has other contestants comment on it. See: Daya "I'm so hot for Camden right now." For Camden that feels like another really emotionally strong moment.
The last piece of this narrative is Camden's performance in Moulin Ru as the androgynous cabaret host. Although the character's dress and physical presentation is androgynous, Camden brings a queer masculine-coded sexuality to her performance that feels like a continuation of her discovery as Freddie Mercury. And like with Freddie, she performs the role very successfully and has a ton of fun doing it.
What's even better is just to see all these performances get rewarded by the judges on Drag Race. I really don't know how they would've been received on earlier seasons. But I'm glad we have them now, and I'm glad that queens continue to push Drag Race to expand its aesthetic bubble.
This concludes my thesis.

My Cumulative Hall of Fame: https://imgur.com/a/aamydqy
I played one version of every single main series generation from gen 3 to gen 9. Once a pokemon was present after defeating the champion or the final boss, they were added to a banlist and not to be used again. For example I used Gyarados in my first run, and didn't have him available for the other 12 games. I did this to prevent just using the same mons over and over again within reason. It worked for the most part, but I still ended up reusing some mons more than I like. For example, Geodude ended up on a lot of teams, but never made to an elite four team.
I didn't play them in strict chronological order, instead starting with BDSP, then moving onto Emerald, FireRed, Platinum, White, X, Alpha Sapphire, Ultra Sun, HeartGold, Black 2, Sword and Scarlet.
Some takeaways:

• I have a much deeper appreciation for the value of a lot of mons, shoutouts to Probopass, Sandaconda, Breloom, Medicham, and Klefki. That alone, made this a cool experience.
  
• I think there's a good reason as to why Emerald and Platinum are most folks' favorites, they were the most fun for me too. Brilliant Diamond gets honorable mention too
  
• Brilliant Diamond was fun since it was my first ever nuzlocke and I beat it on the first try, but that game is fucking hard. I have rewatched PC's HC run with no status moves a bunch of times and I might try that sometime in the future to build up my skill.
  
• Ultra Sun was fun but incredibly stressful. Hardest game of them all for me, period, no debate needed. It was fun, but I'm never doing that again, fuck that game. I wrote a reddit post about this recently if you want to know more about why I feel this way. There's a reason it is almost impossible to find the major streamers running this game with any level of recency.
  
• The Switch games, aside from Brilliant Diamond, just flat out suck to nuzlocke. Not being able to shut of the exp share and complicated ways of randomizing encounters are only the start of the issue. The larger issue being that these titles are unoptimized which makes lagging/crashes just another thing to play around. Scarlet was the worse of the two in this regard. Whenever there was rain or just a heavy set to load, I was down to like 10fps. I have a decently old switch, not sure if that was a factor, but it was so frustrating. Two crashes before the 2nd gym and I had enough. I emulated it and it was even worse, but rare candies and speed up was worth the trade off.
  
• Back to actual gameplay: For sword encounters I ended up looking up the encounter rates on Serebii and using a 1-100 number generator to pick my encounter whenever I used the overworld. I tried to use random in the grass as much as possible unless there was nothing of interest there. This was satisfying enough, and felt like it struck a good balance between random and strategizing.
  
• For Scarlet however, I never found a solid solution. First, I tried the tools online. I got Houndour for my first encounter in the first province you gain access to, and ran around for an hour, but couldn't find it. I accidentally ran into a much higher level Litleo during my search, and it ended my first run. I ultimately ended up using tera raid dens to randomize my encounters which made me feel so disconnected from the world. I was essentially sprinting past the hard-to-load zones with tons of lag to get to my next raid den or boss fight, then repeating the process. Additionally the encounter quality went from frustratingly bad to boring once I caught some good mons. It was the same reason a lot of folks find randomized runs unengaging. The game is hard until you catch something overpowered, and then the rest of the game is a breeze.
  
• My biggest takeaway of this experience is that I am very concerned for the future of nuzlocking new titles if they continue in the direction we are headed in. I am not sure what a solution looks like, but I am hoping the folks at gamefreak understand that some of their most loyal fans really enjoy playing the game this way, and add some features to make it easier to play the game the way we want to. I know they view us as cheaters or something right now, but I feel like that's mostly just a misunderstanding that can be overcome with the proper advocacy. They added a challenge mode to B2W2, maybe one day they can take that a step farther and offer some extra settings specific to nuzlocking. They probably won't, but a man can dream
  

I do a daily news podcast and a weekly soccer podcast. I normally use a Rode mic and mixer on a Mac Mini. Garage Band for the daily since it's all local, and Streamyard for the weekly since it's remote with cohosts and guests. Both Garage Band and Streamyard work great on the Mac Mini. However, the studio is also in the bedroom so occasionally I have to record elsewhere in the house, or elsewhere in the world if I'm traveling. I have a couple other more portable mics I can use but they're USB-A, and I have to plug them into an adapter to plug into the USB-C on my Chromebook. Without the mixer the mics can get a bit hot but I know how to deal with that ... what I don't understand is this clicking noise that appears alongside my voice. It isn't present when my guests or cohosts are talking, but it is present in my voice regardless of which microphone I use. So I guess the question is ... is it the adapter? Is it the Chromebook? Do I need to ge a microphone that'll plug directly into the USB-C? Maybe a Bluetooth microphone? Any advice appreciated!

The Ambient Soundbath, Sound Meditation and what is Soundbath Meditation®?

The Ambient Soundbath has its roots in the practice of sound meditation. Sound meditation was something that I began exploring as an undergrad at Goddard College in Vermont some 25 years ago. With a combined goal of having a deeper music listening experience and pursuing a natural, heightened state of awareness, I blended my vipassana, or insight meditation, practice with a self-discovered deep listening and sonic awareness practice.
Where the Ambient Soundbath was created as a sonic break from the everyday routine, a space for thinking and being; the Soundbath Meditation® is meant to go deeper. Where the Ambient Soundbath can create a temporary state of well-being, Soundbath Meditation® aims to create a more permanent feeling of well-being and inner peace.
Soundbath Meditation®, on some level, is not different from mindfulness meditation, in this regard. With mindfulness meditation, the purpose is to become aware of what is currently happening around you, rather than focusing on something different than the present. With Soundbath Meditation®, you become aware of what is happening around you, sonically, and focus on that. In this way, Soundbath Meditation® is a hybrid of mindfulness meditation and vipassana (insight) meditation, where you are both aware of what is currently happening around you (mindfulness) and focused on what is happening as it happens (vipassana/ insight).
When the Ambient Soundbath Podcast first came online there was little reference to sound meditation that didn’t, eventually, lead back to the work of, Deep Listening pioneer and composer, Pauline Oliveros. However, since then, many new websites and articles have popped up talking about the benefits of sound meditation, sonic awareness, even “live” soundbaths. I believe that we’ve reached a new era for sound as a way to create sustainable heightened states of awareness and consciousness and I believe the time has come to begin to talk about and teach the benefits of Soundbath Meditation®. I will be talking about this more in the days, weeks and years to come.
If you’re interested in being a part of a virtual Soundbath Meditation®, please contact me here.
For now, please continue to enjoy the Ambient Soundbath Podcast and Soundbath Meditation® as a gateway to sustained inner peace.

Week 231

Join us here to track and update us on your training progress.

About Training Club

A lot of people on alpinism train systematically using TFTNA or other approaches. In order to stay motivated and work towards goals, it's useful to share your progress or discuss obstacles; to celebrate your achievements or learn from your failures; and to share knowledge widely about training for the mountains.
New to these training concepts? Uphill Athlete has a condensed explanation: https://www.uphillathlete.com/training-for-mountaineering/
Also recommend:

• Kilian Jornet about training and racing advice for non-elites, heart rate training, HRV & what leads to the greatest performance for any runner.
  
• Also part 2: Kilian Jornet's Advice for Ultra Runners To Improve in Training and Racing, How Kilian Deals With Failure, Nutrition, Recovery and more!
  
• The Training for Mountaineering Podcast by Rowan Smith: https://www.summitstrength.com.au/blog/welcome-to-the-training-for-mountaineering-podcast
  

Members

• u/irishthrasher
• u/DerFrange
• u/stille
• u/raam86
• u/LiftingAndHiking
• u/LedZappelin
• u/AmishDiplomat
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A weekly thread will be posted every Monday. Those who are regularly training can post an update on their progress, and anyone who wants to contribute or ask questions is welcome to. I suggest we should follow an approximate format of:
What did you do this week? This is best itemized into days of the week, but you don't have to. As much detail as you feel is necessary.
What are you planning to do next week? This doesn't necessarily have to be itemised into days, but just a rough list of the training you plan to do.
What are your Short Term, Medium Term, and Long Term Goals? This will help to keep you on track. What are the STG you'd like to achieve in, say, the next month? What are the MTG (say, next 3-6 months) that these will feed into? What are the LTG (12+ months) that your training plan is helping you work towards? These should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. The more specific you can be, the more motivated you will be to train.

Some Notes

Posting consistently in Training Club will keep you accountable and provide a useful log of your training journey, so aim to post every week, irrespective of whether you achieved what you set out to achieve.
Anyone who wants to get involved is welcome to. It doesn't matter whether you're making your first forays into the alpine, or whether you're a seasoned expedition veteran. Training is training, and this is a community that's supportive of all the different facets of alpinism.
If you have any suggestions for improvements, changes in format, tips for other users, questions, comments etc. etc. then post them! If you see an opportunity to make things better, if you've got a question about training, or you want to chat with other participants about their activity/goals, then post it up in here!
First time contributors should give a short introduction. Happy to keep it anonymous, but it'd be useful to know a little bit about your background, where you're based, how long you've been climbing in the alpine, and what you're psyched for.

Hi all, I finally created a reddit account to come hang out here during my kidney stone adventure. I also got a bonus surprise of having gallstones as well! Maybe posting what's going on will match someone's search in the future and help them. Here's what I know so a far:
Me: 44M
Hospital System: Kaiser
Symptoms: Hematuria, no pain ever experienced.
CT UROGRAM WITHOUT AND WITH CONTRAST:
KIDNEYS/URETERS: Lower pole left renal calculi measuring up to 7 mm. No hydronephrosis. No suspicious renal mass. No ureteral filling defects.
GALLBLADDEBILE DUCTS: Gallstones present. No significant biliary dilation.
Kidney Function Blood Test: Everything normal except white blood cell count was low. Retesting in a couple months.
24 Hour Urine Test:
Mostly everything within normal rage, EXCEPT oxalate was at 154.9 mg/TV, uric acid was on the high side of the standard range, and phosphate at 1.6 g/TV. Urinalysis also showed oxalate crystals, blood components, etc.
History:
While there had been some signs of issues of kidney stones before, I had never imagined I had them, nor was it suggested by any doctors.
When I was in my late teens, I had a period of about a few days where urinating was causing a weird amount of pain and burning, and I had eventually headed into the doctor to see what was going on. While urinating after filling the cup, I felt something "shoot out", and everything went back to normal after that. There had been no blood during this time, I don't remember the results of the test, and there was no further investigation after that.
In May 2020, I had my first experience with visible blood in urine. Went in for a test, all the doctor did was test for protein/blood etc (not a 24-hour urine test). Blood went away after a few days, and the doctor never said we should investigate further. There was a point a couple weeks later where I believed I had felt something come out during urination, but it wasn't a very remarkable event.
Come to January of this year, blood in urine had returned, and I was unable to get an appointment with my new primary care doctor (I had switched from the one in 2020). So I am assuming there are "on call" doctors at Kaiser to pick up the stragglers with issues. Ordered blood tests, 24-hour urine, and then was more or less ghosted, so I got in contact with my primary care to take over, and she ordered a CT Scan. I just got the test results, so waiting to talk to her soon. There have been several episodes of visible blood since the first time in Jan.
There is no family history, anywhere of kidney stones (or gallstones).
There are some possibilities that I can think of that have contributed to the kidney stone(s). First, for a couple years, I have been eating a huge amount of nuts. Like, often a pound a day, maybe more sometimes! I buy giant cans of mixed nuts, and also bulk black pepper cashews. The past few months I've also been eating more greens and higher protein diet, exercising more, and I had been taking creatine monohydrate supplement.
The one thing that connects 2020 and now, though is that I have been taking a large daily amount of kratom for many years. If you don't know what it is, I'm sure you can google it. It causes dehydration, and who knows, probably is ultra high in oxalates. It causes my urine to come out dark yellow.
So, I'm trying to be proactive. I had always drank a lot of water, but now am upping it even more. The container they provided for the 24-hour urine test was not big enough, so I had to stop drinking anything at all for the tail end of the 24 hours. I'm trying to keep around 1 gallon a day water intake now, probably was a half+ gallon before. I am tapering off kratom, but this takes a while to do without disrupting life significantly. I've stopped taking my multivitamin (has vitamin c and calcium), and stopped taking creatine supplement. Alas, I've stopped eating nuts, and left the spinach and kale to the rest of the family. No insane amounts of chocolate. Drinking milk with meals.
It'll be interesting to see what is up with the gallstones, there was no description, only that they exist. I could imagine the worst luck being having gallstone and kidney stone pain at the same time. Doctor said kidney stones over 5mm could require medical intervention.
Will try to keep this updated as time goes on.

Hello guys,
today I found out, that sound in recorded videos is really low on my S23 Ultra. I recorded person making presentation from like 2-3 meters and he was barely heard, had to crank volume up to the full.
Tried to take it out of the case, but it didn't help.
Is that normal, or my Ultra has an issue?
Thanks for help