text:
This project contains scripts to test if clients or access points (APs) are affected by the KRACK attack against WPA2. For details behind this attack see our website and the research paper.

Remember that our scripts are not attack scripts! You will need the appropriate network credentials in order to test if an access point or client is affected by the KRACK attack.

Our scripts were tested on Kali Linux. To install the required dependencies on Kali, execute:

    apt-get update
    apt-get install libnl-3-dev libnl-genl-3-dev pkg-config libssl-dev net-tools git sysfsutils python-scapy python-pycryptodome virtualenv

Then DISABLE HARDWARE ENCRYPTION using the script ./krackattack/disable-hwcrypto.sh. It's recommended to reboot after executing this script. If you want to confirm this script work, execute systool -vm ath9k_htc or similar after plugging in your Wi-Fi NIC to confirm the nohwcript/swcrypto/hwcrypto parameter has been set. We tested our scripts with an Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 and a TP-Link TL-WN722N v1 on Kali Linux.

Finally compile our modified hostapd instance:

      cd hostapd
      cp defconfig .config
      make -j 2

Remember to disable Wi-Fi in your network manager before using our scripts. After disabling Wi-Fi, execute sudo rfkill unblock wifi so our scripts can still use Wi-Fi.

To assure you're using the correct version of scapy, you can create a virtualenv with the dependencies listed in krackattack/requirements.txt.

First modify hostapd/hostapd.conf and EDIT THE LINE interface= TO SPECIFY THE WI-FI INTERFACE that will be used to execute the tests. Note that for all tests, once the script is running, you must let the device being tested connect to the SSID TESTNETWORK USING THE PASSWORD ABCDEFGH. You can change settings of the AP by modifying hostapd/hostapd.conf. In all tests the CLIENT MUST USE DHCP TO GET AN IP after connecting to the Wi-Fi network. This is because some tests only start after the client has requested an IP using DHCP!

You should now run the following tests located in the krackattacks/ directory:

1.  ./krack-test-client.py --replay-broadcast. This tests whether the client acceps replayed broadcast frames. If the client accepts replayed broadcast frames, this must be patched first. If you do not patch the client, our script will not be able to determine if the group key is being reinstalled (because then the script will always say the group key is being reinstalled).
2.  ./krack-test-client.py --group --gtkinit. This tests whether the client installs the group key in the group key handshake with the given receive sequence counter (RSC). See section 6.4 of our [follow-up research paper(https://papers.mathyvanhoef.com/ccs2018.pdf)] for the details behind this vulnerability.
3.  ./krack-test-client.py --group. This tests whether the client reinstalls the group key in the group key handshake. In other words, it TESTS IF THE CLIENT IS VULNERABLE TO CVE-2017-13080. The script tests for reinstallations of the group key by sending broadcast ARP requests to the client using an already used (replayed) packet number (here packet number = nonce = IV). Note that if the client always accepts replayed broadcast frames (see --replay-broadcast), this test might incorrectly conclude the group key is being reinstalled.
4.  ./krack-test-client.py. This tests for key reinstallations in the 4-way handshake by repeatedly sending encrypted message 3's to the client. IN OTHER WORDS, THIS TESTS FOR CVE-2017-13077 (THE VULNERABILITY WITH THE HIGHEST IMPACT) AND FOR CVE-2017-13078 . The script monitors traffic sent by the client to see if the pairwise key is being reinstalled. Note that this effectively performs two tests: whether the pairwise key is reinstalled, and whether the group key is reinstalled. Make sure the client requests an IP using DHCP for the group key reinstallation test to start. To assure the client is sending enough unicast frames, you can optionally ping the AP: ping 192.168.100.254.
5.  ./krack-test-client.py --tptk. Identical to test 4, except that a forged message 1 is injected before sending the encrypted message 3. This variant of the test is important because some clients (e.g. wpa_supplicant v2.6) are only vulnerable to pairwise key reinstallations in the 4-way handshake when a forged message 1 is injected before sending a retransmitted message 3.
6.  ./krack-test-client.py --gtkinit. This tests whether the client installs the group key in the 4-way handshake with the given receive sequence counter (RSC). The script will continously execute new 4-way handshakes to test this. Unfortunately, this test can be rather unreliable, because any missed handshake messages cause synchronization issues, making the test unreliable. You should only execute this test in environments with little background noise, and execute it several times.

Some additional remarks:

-   The most important test is ./krack-test-client, which tests for ordinary key reinstallations in the 4-way handshake.
-   Perform these tests in a room with little interference. A high amount of packet loss will make this script less reliable!
-   Optionally you can manually inspect network traffic to confirm the output of the script (some Wi-Fi NICs may interfere with our scripts):
    -   Use an extra Wi-Fi NIC in monitor mode to conform that our script (the AP) sends out frames using the proper packet numbers (IVs). In particular, check whether replayed broadcast frames indeed are sent using an already used packet number (IV).
    -   Use an extra Wi-Fi NIC in monitor mode to check pairwise key reinstalls by monitoring the IVs of frames sent by the client.
    -   Capture traffic on the client to see if the replayed broadcast ARP requests are accepted or not.
-   If the client can use multiple Wi-Fi radios/NICs, perform the test using several Wi-Fi NICs.
-   You can add the --debug parameter for more debugging output.
-   All unrecognized parameters are passed on to hostapd, so you can include something like -dd -K to make hostapd output all debug info.

Correspondence to Wi-Fi Alliance tests

The Wi-Fi Alliance created a custom vulnerability detection tool based on our scripts. At the time of writing, this tool is only accessible to Wi-Fi Alliance members. Their tools supports several different tests, and these tests correspond to the functionality in our script as follows:

-   4.1.1 (Plaintext retransmission of EAPOL Message 3). We currently do not support this test. This test is not necessary anyway. Make sure the device being tested passes test 4.1.3, and then it will also pass this test.
-   4.1.2 (Immediate retransmission of EAPOL M3 in plaintext). We currently do not suppor this test. Again, make sure the device being tested passes test 4.1.3, and then it will also pass this test.
-   4.1.3 (Immediate retransmission of encrypted EAPOL M3 during pairwise rekey handshake). This corresponds to ./krack-test-client.py, except that encrypted EAPOL M3 are sent periodically instead of immediately.
-   4.1.5 (PTK reinstallation in 4-way handshake when STA uses Temporal PTK construction, same ANonce). Execute this test using ./krack-test-client.py --tptk.
-   4.1.6 (PTK reinstallation in 4-way handshake when STA uses Temporal PTK construction, random ANonce). Execute this test using ./krack-test-client.py --tptk-rand.
-   4.2.1 (Group key handshake vulnerability test on STA). Execue this test using ./krack-test-client.py --group.
-   4.3.1 (Reinstallation of GTK and IGTK on STA supporting WNM sleep mode). We currently do not support this test (and neither does the Wi-Fi Alliance actually!).

1.  Create a wpa_supplicant configuration file that can be used to connect to the network. A basic example is:

         ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
         network={
           ssid="testnet"
           key_mgmt=FT-PSK
           psk="password"
         }

    Note the use of "FT-PSK". Save it as network.conf or similar. For more info see wpa_supplicant.conf.

2.  Try to connect to the network using your platform's wpa_supplicant. This will likely require a command such as:

         sudo wpa_supplicant -D nl80211 -i wlan0 -c network.conf

    If this fails, either the AP does not support FT, or you provided the wrong network configuration options in step 1. Note that if the AP does not support FT, it is not affected by this vulnerability.

3.  Use this script as a wrapper over the previous wpa_supplicant command:

         sudo ./krack-ft-test.py wpa_supplicant -D nl80211 -i wlan0 -c network.conf

    This will execute the wpa_supplicant command using the provided parameters, and will add a virtual monitor interface that will perform attack tests.

4.  Use wpa_cli to roam to a different AP of the same network. For example:

         sudo wpa_cli -i wlan0
         > status
         bssid=c4:e9:84:db:fb:7b
         ssid=testnet
         ...
         > scan_results
         bssid / frequency / signal level / flags / ssid
         c4:e9:84:db:fb:7b  2412  -21  [WPA2-PSK+FT/PSK-CCMP][ESS] testnet
         c4:e9:84:1d:a5:bc  2412  -31  [WPA2-PSK+FT/PSK-CCMP][ESS] testnet
         ...
         > roam c4:e9:84:1d:a5:bc
         ...

    In this example we were connected to AP c4:e9:84:db:fb:7b of testnet (see status command). The scan_results command shows this network also has a second AP with MAC c4:e9:84:1d:a5:bc. We then roam to this second AP.

5.  Generate traffic between the AP and client. For example:

         sudo arping -I wlan0 192.168.1.10

6.  Now look at the output of ./krack-ft-test.py to see if the AP is vulnerable.

    1.  First it should say "Detected FT reassociation frame". Then it will start replaying this frame to try the attack.
    2.  The script shows which IVs (= packet numbers) the AP is using when sending data frames.
    3.  Message IV reuse detected (IV=X, seq=Y). AP is vulnerable! means we confirmed it's vulnerable.

    Be sure to manually check network traces as well, to confirm this script is replaying the reassociation request properly, and to manually confirm whether there is IV (= packet number) reuse or not.

    Example output of vulnerable AP:

         [15:59:24] Replaying Reassociation Request
         [15:59:25] AP transmitted data using IV=1 (seq=0)
         [15:59:25] Replaying Reassociation Request
         [15:59:26] AP transmitted data using IV=1 (seq=0)
         [15:59:26] IV reuse detected (IV=1, seq=0). AP is vulnerable!

    Example output of patched AP (note that IVs are never reused):

         [16:00:49] Replaying Reassociation Request
         [16:00:49] AP transmitted data using IV=1 (seq=0)
         [16:00:50] AP transmitted data using IV=2 (seq=1)
         [16:00:50] Replaying Reassociation Request
         [16:00:51] AP transmitted data using IV=3 (seq=2)
         [16:00:51] Replaying Reassociation Request
         [16:00:52] AP transmitted data using IV=4 (seq=3)

Our scripts are officially only supported on Kali Linux. Nevertheless, some users have been able to get it running on Ubuntu 16.04. These users remarked that the python-pycryptodome package is not present on Ubuntu, but can be installed as follows:

1.  Install the python-pip package
2.  Execute pip install pycryptodomex

It is recommended to install this python module under a virtual python environment using virtualenv.

It's also possible to manually perform (more detailed) tests by cloning the hostap git repository:

    git clone git://w1.fi/srv/git/hostap.git

And following the instructions in tests/cipher-and-key-mgmt-testing.txt.

question: What does the text say about viruses?

question: What does the text say about disabling hardware encryption from KRACK attacks?

answer: To disable hardware encryption from krack attacks, use the script: /krackattack/disable-hwcrypto.sh. It's recommended to reboot after executing this script then compile the modified hostapd. Remember to disable Wi-Fi in your network manager before using scripts.

question: What does the text say about Wi-Fi alliance?

answer: The Wi-Fi Alliance created a custom vulnerability detection tool based on the scripts. This feature used to be only available to Wi-Fi Alliance members.

question: What does the text say about programming?


split: test

text:
Way, way back in the day I loved simply making eye contact and smiling. Just a small, half cocked smile the first time. You can do that all day and every now and then you'll get the same "yea, i'm smiling at you" look right back.

So, its my Sophomore year & I'm walking between classes and lock eyes with beautiful brunette as we're walking past each other and we're both smiling at one another. I just kept going. So did she.

Two days later, as class schedules generally mandate, there we are walking by each other. This time we see each other from much greater distance. We're staring at each other, both with wolf like eyes, wanton looks without fear of rejection.

But, we're actually with other people, class mates and both on our way some where else so we pass each other again still smiling. Just as we do I mouth "next time" to which she smiles brighter and nods in the affirmative. I can't wait for next Tuesday now.

The weekend comes and being two months in I've figured out again which bars card, which don't and which will take my hack of a fake ID. Having luck with the bars but not with the ladies I head back to my dorm room and who do I see sauntering down the hall with the floor scoundrel? Yea, my beaut that I still haven't even spoken too. Huh. My fault for not acting quicker I decide and break into the same smile I had the second day I saw her. Never give up lads.

She sees me just as I hit full grin and her eyes go wide at first with surprise almost as if she's been caught. Quickly she composes herself and gives me a Cheshire cat grin. She has a guy on her arm and one walking by digging her and that is making her feel very good. Oh, I like her. Beaten this night but not defeated I notice the scoundrel is oblivious to our unspoken conversation and so I continue with a slight bite of my lower lip and a raised brow. She returns an ever so slight lick of just the edge of her upper teeth an lip as we pass. Not tonight but it will happen. I'm sure.

"Evening Bro" says my floor mate as he finally gets his keys out of his pants he's been struggling with. "Yes. Yes, it is" I say with a causal look eyes locked again with hers still sporting the Cheshire. He opens the door and heads to his room. She turns away looking in and turns her head back towards me to seemingly say 'I might have made a mistake but I'm going anyway ha!'. Just as she turns her head and begins to take a step in though I see it. An exhale. As if much of her previous thought on how her evening might go were dimmed somewhat.

I take that as a small victory. As big of one as I can expect considering we have to actually have any real verbal communication between us. I pass my room. I'm not ready to sleep just yet now so I head the common area to see who's up, catch some late TV, ponder my next move, and more possibly see how long she stays. No, can't do that last one. I can't think like that. She can have her fun. It doesn't concern me. It can't affect the possibility of us unless I let it. So, I resolve to not let it.

It was surprisingly quite easy even for 19 year old me. It made me feel more mature suddenly. I decided right then to never ask another women how many men she'd been with. It wouldn't matter as they would be with me right that moment and after all. I was lost in this and thoughts of her jade green eyes when the phone rang. I hardly noticed it in my state but when I heard floor mate ask "Is Scoundrel in?" My ears perked up. "Its his girl friend." Oh, this is interesting. She calls all the time. I mean all the time. She suspects he's cheating, and of course he is, so she calls relentlessly on nights they are not together.

Quickly, I answered in the negative. There is a code still and I follow it obediently even thought its not in my interest at the moment. This code shouldn't be broken. Only bad things come of that. He tells her Scoundrel is out and hangs up. I ponder whats happened while leaning back and staring at the TV as another floor mate inquires "he's hear right?" "Oh, yea, but he's not to be disturbed if you know what I mean" I replied. "God, that guy is such a dog" another says and back we are to watching whatever it was we were watching.

About 15 minutes go buy and the phone rings again. Its 2:30am and we all know its her again. Nobody wants to answer. It keeps ringing. We're looking around the room at each other and its ringing. Nobody is saying a thing. Its still ringing. On about the 15th ring some one chimes in "I'm not getting it." I sigh then say "I'll get it."
"Hello." "Is Scoundrel there?" "No, I don't think so." "Are you sure?" "Yea, I've been in the common right by the hall for a while and I haven't seen him come up." "Well, I just drove by and saw his car is there and the bars are closed. He has to be there. I tried coming up but the RA on the ground floor was being a jerk. Can you sneak me in the back way and I'll wait in his room?"

Damn she is persistent. That scenario isn't going to happen though. As I pause to reflect on what do to do she continues "well, if you don't want to that's fine. I think I can get it open..." I cut her off quickly "well, give me a minute. Maybe he is here and I missed him." I put the phone down and headed for his door feeling I have legitimate cover this semi-intentional interruption of his evening now. "Dude, what the fuck is it?" was the response I get from my initial knock. "Your brothers on the phone." "Shit. Just a minute." Its a code we already developed for this guy. She calls all the time and this guy goes out a lot. I don't know why he thought he needed to have a girlfriend too. We all felt bad for her and someone soon was going to spill but not tonight. Tonight he would slide again but not the way he originally planned.

I went to my door and slowly looked for my key hanging as long as I could to be sure I have some interaction with him, or her, before I head in to my room. I open my door just as he opens his and head in leaving mine open. He pokes his head in and says quietly "hey, don't let her come down the hall would you man?" "Sure" I said with a smile.
So, I hang out at my door having it slightly cracked with the intention of feigning a coincidental opening should she come out.

Sure enough he's on the phone too long and I hear the handle jiggle. I quietly, yet quickly, close mine then open it a few moments later. There she is. She looks ravishing. Hair tussled.  Face flush. I can't believe he actually went to that phone. I would would have stayed. She's in a thick, burgundy shower robe. She turns towards me, mouth closed, the Chesire replaced with chagrin but still a smile for me to see. More to see in fact. She hadn't tied the robe and my eyes instinctively noticed as it swung open slightly then closed.  She was still wearing panties. The robe, the panties and nothing else.

We stood there together, each in our respective doorways, transfixed on one another. It went well beyond our first, second and third encounters. Her countenance was changing to one of a clear meaning of desire. When she ran her fingers through her hair while still holding our gaze I could not resist any longer. I walked slowly, deliberately towards her stopping only inches from her. Looking down upon her I could see the robe slightly undone, her hands holding it there, revealing her taught stomach and just a hint of breast.

We stood there with his voice echoing from down the hallway and around the corner taking each other in visually now, lustfully without touching. I reached out placing my hands on the edge of the robe opening and waited for a reaction. She bit her lip, her chest heave and her chin lifted toward mine. Slowly, surely opening and drenching my eyes here her beauty. And she was beautify. And she let me take it all in seemingly enjoying ogling. I cocked a brow, said simply "not bad" and flashed that smile now familiar to her. That evoked an open mouth smile, her tongue messaging her teeth. "Oh, but it can be."

Just then we heard the distinct sound a phone hanging up harshly. I took a quick step back as she closed her robe. "The bathrooms just down that way" I said loudly. "Third door on the right. Its empty now." Her brows bobbed and a quick wink she headed off as the Scoundrel came down the hall toward us.

"Dude, thank you so much" he said oblivious to what had to be a change in my facial color from moments before. "She was coming over" he said with a comical grimace. "Dude, do me a solid. I've got to go right now. Tell her my brothers drunk and I have to get him. It'll take a while since he's on the other side of town now and he lives an hour North. Damn, she's hot. This will blow it for me with her. Anyway, can you do that?"

"Not a problem."

title: [RO]Eye Contact

question: What does the text say about the guy known as Scoundrel?

answer: He's a habitual cheater living on the same dorm floor as the narrator. The narrator sees him going out with a girl that he likes but didn't make quicker moves for. That night, Scoundrel's girlfriend calls him as is usual for the nights they aren't together because she's suspicious of him. The narrator or others usually answer, lying for Scoundrel, and when she calls again at 2.30 am saying she'll enter the dorm and go to the Scoundrel's room, the narrator gets an excuse he wants. He goes to his room, letting him know about the situation, and uses the opportunity to flirt with the brunette. Oblivious to that, Scoundrel thanks the narrator and asks him to talk to the brunette to relay the excuse he comes up with. Of course, the narrator is happy to oblige.

question: What does the story say about what's fair in love and war?


text:
Heyoo everyone. This is a story I wrote for my intro to creative writing class. I'm thinking about double majoring of maybe minoring in the subject. If you could let me know what you think of the story that'd be very nice of you. Thanks.
p.s.--brutal honesty is encouraged

Baby Ray
Raymond was my little brother. We called him Baby Ray until he was old enough to tell us to shut up, and after that we just called him Ray. The same year Ray was born my parents got us a dog. A huge Bernese mountain dog named Theodore.

Theodore was the coolest dog ever. He grew to mammoth proportions, but when he was a puppy people used to think he was a stuffed animal. Without a doubt, that dog was the motherfuckin’ bee’s-knees. He was the smartest dog I ever met. I know everyone thinks that their dog is the best, but Theodore really was. Ray used to ride atop him like he was a horse, pulling his ears like they were reigns and screaming with laughter. I swear he understood English perfectly. We would ask him, “Where’s Mom?” and he’d lead us right to her. It even seemed like he understood the jokes we made, howling along with my brother and I as we laughed at whatever stupid joke the other had made.

Walking Theodore was considered to be a “chore”, but my brother and I both enjoyed the activity. We’d switch off days of the week for who got to walk him. It was my favorite part of the day. Just me and Theodore, walking down the street. Straight chillin’. When Ray and I got older we would roll up little joints and walk Theodore to the woods. Once we were there, we’d smoke and take him off the leash. While we lazily strolled around the woods, Theodore would run ahead. He never went far though, always waiting for us and staying within eyesight. Whenever we got a bit too baked and got lost, he always could smell his way back to the car. That dog was awesome, and we loved him like he was a long, lost third brother.

I was 16 the day that Theodore died. I was playing my favorite video game, Crash Bandicoot, on PlayStation, when I heard a scream coming from the front yard. My mom was out there gardening, and I knew there was nothing in the yard that could make her scream like that. I jumped off the couch and ran outside. Theodore was lying dead in the middle of the street. Apparently a car had whipped around the corner too fast and had hit him right in front of our house. He died right away.

I was kneeling in the road next to his body before I realized that my mom was doing the same thing. Except she was kneeling next to my little brother, a pool of blood gathering around his head, Theodore’s leash still gripped in his hand.

The way I felt about Theodore was pretty similar to the way I felt about Ray. Just the way Theodore was the best dog in the world, Ray was the best little brother in the world. He was a hilarious little kid, and was oddly wise for his young age. Even though I was two years older than him, I often found myself going to him for advice. He was one of my best friends.

That all changed after the accident. Ray had suffered brain damage and entered what the doctors called a “vegetative state”. This turned out to be permanent.

Years went by. Ray made no improvements. He was a vegetable, in a coma. He responded to nothing. No blinking, no head movement—nothing at all. I couldn’t stand to see my little brother like that. The kid who had once schooled me at Super Smash Bro’s, who I had taught to shoot a basketball, was now breathing only with the help of machines. He would never walk again, or laugh, or do any of the cool shit we had always said we would.

One day, about 3 years after the accident, the doctors came in the room to discuss something with my mom. This was weird, and signified to us that something important was afoot. My brother had a whole slew of doctors that attended to him, but never had they all been together in the room at the same time. My mother and I were sitting next to my brother’s bed when they walked in, reading the newspaper to him. My mom believed that he could hear what was going on around him, and that he especially enjoyed the paper. When he woke up, she reasoned, he would want to be up on current events.

“Excuse us,” the most senior looking doctor said. “Could we have a moment?” The doctors asked me to leave the room so they could speak to my mother, and obviously, I refused. If there was something they had to say about Ray, then they could damn well say it in front of me. My mom agreed. “He can stay,” she told them, although they clearly weren’t happy about it, judging from the looks they shot each other. They kept it short and sweet. “Ray’s been with us for three years now, and he hasn’t shown any sign of improvement. He is in a permanent vegetative state, and will be that way for the rest of his life. You may want to consider taking him off life support.”

 My mom took this a lot better than I thought she would. It was because she fully held onto hope that my brother would one day wake up totally fine, as if he were simply waking up from a really long nap. Every morning she started her day thinking, knowing, that that would be the day my brother was sitting up in his bed waiting for her when she walked into his room.

Every morning, my mom woke up at 6am and got ready for the day, which consisted of sitting at the hospital. Every single day, she sat in that uncomfortable plastic chair next to Ray’s bed. Reading, talking, and praying for her empty shell of a son. Her life had turned into a constant observance of my brother’s horrible state. She was trapped in her refusal to accept the truth—that her baby Ray was gone. I had come to terms with the fact that my brother was basically dead, and I knew he would have accepted and agreed with that fact. I knew he would have hated what his “life” had become, and would not want to exist in such a way. I was able to move on with my life because of this. My mom couldn’t.

That’s why I decided to pull the plug.

title: Read==>Feedback==>Thanks.

question: What does the story have to say about Theodore?

answer: Theodore was the narrator's family dog, a Bernese mountain dog, that they received around the same time the narrator's brother Ray was born. The narrator describes Theodore as the best, smartest, and coolest dog ever. He and his brother used to walk Theodore as a "chore", but he and Ray both loved to walk him. Theodore's life ended when Ray was walking him and both were hit by a car.

question: Summarize the story's main event.

answer: When the narrator is 16, both Theodore and Ray are hit by a car. The car kills Theodore and leaves Ray in a vegetative state. The narrator and his mother are devastated. Years go by but Ray makes no improvements.

question: What does the story have to say about the mom's feelings about Ray after the accident?

answer: The narrator's mom is devastated by the accident that leaves Ray in a vegetative coma. For three years she keeps him on life support and fully believes that he will wake up one day. Her life had become a constant observance of Ray's state. Even when the doctor tells her that Ray hasn't improved and taking him off life support should be considered, the mom remains hopeful Ray will wake up. She is trapped in her refusal to believe that Ray is gone forever, so she is unable to pull the life support plug on him herself.

question: What does the story say about the narrator's life after he pulls the plug?


text:
Just wanted to share this tidbit i wrote as an RP character background story for my application for the ArmA 3 life mod. Ive never really been big into writing or anything so when i started i thought to myself "well they want at least 200 words for a story...i can bullshit my way through that". Well 3 hours and 2200+ words later I ended up with something im pretty proud of. Had my gf read it and she apparently thinks it was a pretty well written story and im just looking to get the opinions of anyone else patient enough to read through it. Formatting could probably be better but hey, im no expert at this literary stuff.

Felix Moeller is a man with a very troubled and violent past. As a child he traveled a lot with his parents who were always in search of a better way of life and better opportunities for their only son. He traveled to places such as the mountainous region of Taviana, the tropics of Lingor, the war torn island of Panthera and to the coast of Chernarus. His parents decided to finally settle down in the large city of Chernogorsk where his mother worked as a housekeeper at the famous International Hotel while his father worked in the steel factory producing vehicles for the military which he wasn't allowed to speak of to anyone. Felix was also going to be coming of age and eager to follow in his father's footsteps but things suddenly took a grim turn. There were reports of some kind of sickness that had been spreading in the Nothern regions of Chernarus and panic started to ensue. The military soon started cutting these areas off from the rest of the population and were urging the citizens to start evacuating all major cities. Felix went to the International Hotel to get his mother and bring her home to to begin packing all essential belongings and wait for his father who had phoned him and would be on his way home after he finished getting the last vehicle off the assembly line at the factory. Some time had passed and his father had yet to return home and no one was answering the telephone in the factory. After Felix and his mother finished packing their things into their UAZ they decided to head to head to the factory to try and pick up his father there. The streets were filled with people desperately trying to leave and scavenge what they could for food and supplies as well as bandits looting businesses and anything else in sight amidst the chaos. Upon reaching the factory what they found they could not have forseen. Felix's father had been killed and what looked to be an infected civilian was consuming what remained of his battered corpse. That was the last time his father was seen before he and his mother escaped and sought out pilgrimage on the island of Altis. Upon arriving in Altis, Felix and his mother had close to nothing to claim their own and once again had to start from scratch. Felix found work as a peach farmer to help supplement the income of his mother, who had become a secretary at the embassy in the city of Kavala. Months had passed and some of the locals noticed how hard of a worker Felix was just to try and make ends meet. He was approached by a gentleman named Nate and was offered an opportunity he couldn't refuse. He was to become a diamond miner and increase his income to a level he previously thought unimaginable, have so little experience in any real trades or otherwise. Of course when he had first started out he wasn't making near what Nate was making for a cut, but it was more than enough for Felix and his mother to purchase a house of their own rather than renting a decrepit shack like they had been. Things were finally starting to come together and they thought they had found the peace and prosperity they had been searching for. And then one day unrest had started to fall on the island of Altis. Rebel groups started to band together in an effort to overthrow and take control of the current government and run it in their own vision. On a quiet and ordinary day like any other the leaders of Altis had gotten together at the embassy to discuss possible strategy to combat the rebels should the need arise. Unfortunately for them, they had decided to wait to take that possibility into account for too long. The rebels had gained knowledge of this gathering taking place and decided that it was their time to strike. They stormed Kavala with Ifrits, started raining down mortars in Kavala Square and were shooting anyone who dare stand in their way in cold blood. Meanwhile at the diamond mine, Felix had no idea what was happening just a kilometer from his home. Word of the attack started to spread and Felix received a message over the CB radio in the truck from dispatch that he needed to return as soon as possible. Upon arriving at the processing plant he was met with an atmosphere that was solemn and eerie. Nate called Felix into his office and broke the news to him; his mother was not able to make it out of the embassy during the attack and was just one of many casualties that day. Distraught and alone he sank into a depression. He began missing days of work and found comfort in the bottom of bottles of moonshine. Nate knew he had to do something before Felix were to become a lost cause and just a husk of his former self. Nate talked to him and convinced him that instead of feeling sorry for himself and putting himself on a course for a fate that he would regret, he should go out and do something about it. Felix contemplated revenge himself, no doubts about it. But Nate suggested a route that Felix had not thought of; joining Altis Law Enforcement. Felix decided he would give it a shot in hopes that someday he would be able to seek revenge on those responsible for his mother's death. But once again, things didn't go entirely as planned. Felix was accepted onto the force and even went the extra mile putting forth all the effort he could to go above and beyond and in a short time was already promoted to a Patrol Officer. His superiors took notice of his achievements and determination and made a recommendation for him to join the UN. At first he was reluctant as it would set back his plans to get back at those who took everything from him, but also saw it as an excellent opportunity to advance in the ALE when he did return. He then went about the process for recruitment and received his first assignment: Takistan. Upon joining the UN he decided he was going to go the path of the pilot. It was something he'd always dreamed about doing but was not able to pursue in the past. It did not take long for him to get comfortable behind the stick and once again, his superiors took notice as he was racking up hours and successful extraction/infiltration missions. He was approached and offered the opportunity of a lifetime; the opportunity to fly the Pawnee, one of the UN's favored attack helicopters. He was steadily deployed into Southern Takistan, deep into the Takistan Liberation Army territory, to destroy high value targets both on the ground and in the air. He had destroyed dozens of enemy Tempest transport vehicles crippling their drug running income. He had destroyed countless enemy Ifrits, armed and unarmed variants, as well as successfully defeating TLA armed Orca helicopters in battle as well. He became a well decorated pilot and was a very high priority target for the TLA. One day while conducting a drug raid in Southern Takistan flying a Chinook helicopter, Felix started to get missle lock tone. The countermeasures proved not to be enough and his heli was hit. It took out both engines and the sound of them winding down was the worst realization he had ever come to. It was now time to put his training to the test and try to save the lives of as many of the helicopter as he could. He immediately lowered the collective and told everyone onboard to make their way to a seat and get strapped in. He pulled the nose back enough to slow it down quite a bit and started getting closer to the ground. He found an open area as flat as he could and told everyone to hold on. Once they were down to about 50m from the ground he pulled up on the collective like he was trying to snap the lever off. Luckily the rotors were still moving with enough speed that when he did so, he was able to create enough lift to be able to land the giant helicopter and minimize anymore damage to the heli itself, as well as everyone on board. They radioed their location for extraction and fought for 40 mins against TLA soldiers until they were able to get out of their, albeit with the help of a Ghosthawk's miniguns. Soon thereafter Felix was sent to the UN's flight school to be an instructor there for some time before his term in the UN was complete. When he got out he decided to return to Altis and begin to plot his revenge against the rebels. Instead of returning to the ALE, he instead decided to sell his home in Altis and take all the other money he had saved up and bought himself a Mohawk helicopter. He knew Nate would be willing to take him back and return to the diamond mining business but Felix had bigger plans. He started to make contacts in the rebel organization and made money by help them run cocaine in his Mohawk. But for the rebels, the money they were making just wasn't enough. They began scheming to rob the Federal Reserve Bank of Altis and Felix knew his time for revenge was nigh. The rebels of course didn't trust Felix enough to actually take part in the robbery itself, but knew he was one hell of a pilot and designated him for their extraction. When the time came, Felix flew to the island in which the federal reserve sat. The rebels were utterly confused since he was arriving before they had even finished cracking the safe. Felix waited until no one on the outside was looking and hopped out of his Mohawk while keeping the engines going. He then snuck into the fed and drew his silenced 9mm Sting from his backpack and initiated his own plan. Making his way through the building he started executing rebels trying to be as quiet as possible, like something he'd read in a Tom Clancy book when he was younger. He finally reached the safe room where the rebel leader was working on getting the safe open, put the Sting to the back of his head and said "I've been waiting a long time for this." The rebel leader turned and looked at him with the utmost confusion. "The day your soldiers stormed the city of Kavala was the day you took everything from me. Now I'm here to take your life in return." The rebel leader began to plead and try and bargain, offering Felix a majority of the money for the heist in exchange for his life. Felix had no intention of that happening but he also didn't get the satisfaction he had been seeking for so long. Across the bridge on the coast of Pyrgos, the ALE had set up on several vantage points and were awaiting the rebels getaway. But one sniper saw an opportunity and took advantage of it, shooting the rebel leader straight through his skull with a MK18 from 600m out. Felix hit the floor as fast as he could feeling confused and enraged. The rebel leader lay dead next to him but not by his hand and the thought of all that time and planning wasted without the satisfaction of being the one to pull the trigger made his blood boil. But he knew he had more important things to worry about since the ALE was about to storm the island any second. He made a mad dash down the stairs shooting it out with other rebels along the way. He hopped into his Mohawk and lifted it off as fast as he could. But the ALE had prepared for that and Felix soon had a Ghosthawk on his tail. He knew he had to lose them, but how? He decided to take advantage of the darkness of night and headed on a very low flight path. The ALE maintained their altitude assuming easy shots to the main rotor and engines of the Mohawk since they had an advantage in altitude. What they didn't realize is where they were and why exactly Felix had started flying as low as he did. By the time either pilot of the Ghosthawk could do anything to stop it, they flew straight into high-rise power lines that cross the countryside. Felix decided to gather his things and to start a new life. He went to Nate's to gather his belongings and his old friend tosses him a velvet bag with a few diamonds inside. Nate said to him "That should be enough to get you started. I hear Lakeside Valley is a city of great opportunity. Might be a good place to lay low for a while." Taking that advice to mind, Felix cashed in his diamonds and used his money for a fake passport and fuel for his helicopter to make it to his next destination; Lakeside Valley.

title: [MF] Looking for some feedback

question: What does the story say about the best way to write a resume?

question: Summarize Felix Moeller's story from beginning to end.

answer: Felix Moeller traveled a lot as a child because his parents were always in search of a better life and opportunities for him. They finally settled on the coast of Chernarus, but a sickness (zombie-like) quickly spread. Felix and his mom found his father dead and his corpse being eaten by an infected civilian. Felix and his mother fled Chernarus for the island of Altis, where they had nothing and started from scratch. Felix got a job as a peach farmer to help his mother's income as a secretary at the embassy in Kavala. Because he was a hard worker, Felix got a lucrative offer from Nate to work in a diamond mine and he was able to buy a house. Felix's life changes yet again when rebels attack the embassy in Kavala and his mother dies. Felix sank into a depression, drank too much, and missed work. Nate talks some sense into him. Felix joins Altis Law Enforcement (ALE) as a police officer, with the ulterior motive of seeking revenge against the rebels when the time is right. He impresses his superiors, and Felix becomes a pilot in the UN. He initially disliked the promotion because it got in the way of his revenge plans, but he used it as an opportunity to hone his skills. Felix's tour with the UN ends, but instead of going back to the ALE, he goes rogue and starts his revenge on the rebels. Buying a helicopter, he makes contact with the rebels and offers his services as a pilot. During a bank heist, Felix executes as many rebels as he could to get to their leader, but an ALE sniper gets to the rebel leader first. With his plans blown, Felix escapes to Lakeside Valley with Nate's help.

question: What does the story say about revenge?

answer: The death of a loved one at the hands of another person can fuel lust for revenge. In Felix's case, his mother dying at the hands of the rebels motivated Felix to join law enforcement and later the UN, so he could gain the necessary experience and skills to carry out his revenge. Felix's lust for revenge never went away despite all his accolades and accomplishments. Revenge became the central theme of his life. He sold everything he had to buy a helicopter once he retired from law enforcement. It was part of his plan to get get the rebels to hire him as a pilot, where he could just wait for the right time to unleash his fury on them. The time came during a bank heist, and Felix was able to execute several rebels. However, revenge can be a hollow feeling. When he got to the leader and was about to pull the trigger, Felix realized he didn't get the satisfaction he had been seeking for so long. When a sniper shot the rebel leader, Felix became enraged because all the time he put into planning his revenge was wasted.

question: What does the story say about Felix's family?

answer: Felix had a mother and a father who always wanted the best life for Felix. They traveled a lot, seeking a place with plenty of opportunities for their son. However, Felix's parents died tragically. His father was killed in Chernarus by a zombie-like creature. His mother was killed in Altis when rebels attacked the embassy where she worked.

question: What does the story say about the relationship between Felix and Nate?

answer: Felix and Nate are good friends. It was Nate who recruited Felix to come work with him in the diamond mines, giving Felix his first real break in life that allowed him to buy a home and find peace. It was Nate who had to break the news to Felix about his mother's death at the hands of the rebels. Nate talked sense into Felix when he was depressed and suggested he join law enforcement. Felix approached his old friend Nate after his revenge tour on the rebels. Nate gave Felix enough diamonds to start a new life in Lakeside Valley, where he could lay low.


text:
[Jim Lynch]

About |

Eye On Apple covers the latest hot news stories, rumors and illuminating discussions about Apple and its products. Product coverage includes Apple Watch, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Pay, Apple TV.

Apple’s ecosystem offers many advantages, but some disadvantages as well. Some users love being all Apple, while others balk at putting all their eggs in the Apple basket.

One of the great things about using Apple’s products is that they all tend to work together in a way that the company’s competitors still can’t match. But not everyone is sure that it’s worth it to become enmeshed in Apple’s ecosystem, and one redditor recently asked if it was all really worth it.

I’ll share my own thoughts below, but first let’s take a look at what was said in the Reddit thread.

RegesVobis asked his question in the Apple subreddit:

  I’m at a bit of a crossroads right now when it comes to tech. I’ve used Microsoft hardware and services in the past, Google’s more recently, and just bought a Chromebook (that won’t really be ideal for Android apps since it’s not a touchscreen). Lately I’ve been thinking hard about a mixed ecosystem using my iMac as a daily driver, selling the Chromebook to buy an iPad as my companion/travel device, and an Android phone (Moto G 3rd Gen to be precise). I’d be using primarily Microsoft services with the exception of Kobo for eBooks, Google Play Music because I like the included YouTube Red subscription, and Vudu/Ultraviolet for my admittedly small movie collection.

  Then I started considering: Why not just go all in with Apple? Truth be told, I hate the idea of being locked to any one ecosystem (that’s why I stopped using Amazon’s services), but my wife already has an iPad and will soon be picking up an iPhone SE, and if there are significant advantages to doing so then I could see us becoming an “Apple family,” so to speak. I’d have to pick up an iPhone and Apple TV at some point once my disposable income allows, I guess.

  Those of you who are all Apple: Is it worth it?

  More at Reddit

His fellow redditors had some interesting thoughts about Apple’s ecosystem and whether or not it had value for them:

  SEDITIOUSSEALS: “Unpopular opinion here, but I don’t think so. I like Apple stuff, but I don’t like it so much that I know for sure it’s all I’ll use. I try to make sure I use cross-platform services like Google Drive and FB Messenger, and I’ve found myself switching between Mac/Windows and Android/iOS several times now.

  Going all-in for Apple would essentially mean “trapping” myself in their ecosystem, making it very difficult to switch to something else. I like my Mac, and I like my iPad, and one day I might even get an iPhone, but I still won’t do anything that will truly lock me into the ecosystem.”

  POTTERS2643: “Handoff, airdrop, AirPlay, continuation. All totally worth it. I was a die hard Microsoft/Windows guy. I had 2 zunes. (I still say that was a fantastic machine, especially the second one). I switched than iPhone just for FaceTime since the rest of my family refused Skype.

  A couple years later, 2 Apple tvs, 2 iPads, 2 iPhones, MacBook Pro, AirPort Extreme, 2 Apple watches.

  Everything works, is easy, and I don’t spend forever explaining how to do things to my wife, she figures them out herself.

  I went from a hater to a fanboy.

  Edit: Oh yeah! I forgot family sharing. My wife and I used fine my iPhone and find my friends to track each other for timing pickups, dinner, etc. It’s awesome.”

  IANTURK: “It was much of the same for me, though the iPad 3 was the catalyst in my case. Now I’m here with an iPhone 6, iPad Air 2, MacBook Air, Apple TV, and a TimeCapsule.

  Apple makes things easy IMO. Less troubleshooting, issues, etc.”

  ZEROFLEXFLYER: “I made the choice many years ago to be all-in with a single ecosystem instead of having a bit here and a bit there. I have never regretted my choice and always have access to all of my stuff. ”

  AUTONOMOUSGERM: “…you’re never “locked” into it. You can still use all the Google or Microsoft services you please. I tend to do the same - hardware wise I’m all Apple, but don’t like the idea of tying everything to them, so I use Spotify, and Google Drive and Docs. Having said that, I’m finding Apple’s Doc offerings (Pages etc) much more user friendly so have been experimenting with those. ”

  LANCASTER61: “It’s CURRENTLY worth it. But who knows. As long as Apple stay on top of their game then it’ll be worth it as all their stuff interacts together so nicely.

  I don’t see any other company integrating things together so well. Mainly because Apple makes all their own stuff so the integration is super efficient and fluid (vertical integration).”

  ADAMMICHAELJONES: “It’s not lock-in when you WANT to be in the ecosystem.

  Everything in the Apple-verse works together so well, you wonder how the hell you lived otherwise. There’s nothing keeping you there.

  My wife and I are all-apple but we still use an Xbox and Playstation, still watch Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. I still have a Gmail account.

  I use Notability on the iPad and Mac – doodle a bit, take notes at work, sit down at my mac and load it up - everything is there.

  A favorite of mine is browsing a site on the toilet, then go sit at my desk and launch the browser in Hand-off.

  Music is always in sync - I don’t manage my music anymore - gone are the days of painstakingly making sure the ID3 tags are correct, album covers added, etc.

  ePubs I add to iBooks go to all my devices and stay in sync, read a few pages on my phone, grab my iPad and read a few pages on the couch.

  I could go on.”

  NAUTICALMEATBALL: “I was a Mac/Android guy for years. Finally, I caved in to iOS for iMessage. Virtually every person I communicate with regularly uses iMessage, and they aren’t keen on using other messaging services, so the pull was strong.

  In my daily life, I use a mix of Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android (more so formerly, but still a bit), Google services, and, of course, various applications from a Number of different companies and developers. Yet, all of my personal devices are now Apple, and I mostly manage fine.

  I will say this… iOS devices can definitely be a pain in the ass in terms of their flexibility with non-Apple tech and services. I miss a lot about being on Android, particularly in regard to extemporaneous utility and productivity. Being said, if all your other devices are Apple, the inter-ecosystem conveniences really balance out that discrepancy. I would not discourage you at all from going all-Apple.

  If you are concerned about getting “locked” into Apple, I’d say all you need to do is steer clear of their proprietary services. That will make things a little less convenient on iOS, but not terribly so IMO.”

  BINARY: “The way I look at it, when I was on Linux and Windows, I would spend a lot of time configuring different apps and scripts in order to get the same sort of interactions that Handoff/Continuity allow by default. It is more expensive, for sure, to be locked into the ecosystem, but I’d argue that if you value your time above a certain threshold, the time saved by being in the system will outweigh the monetary cost.

  When I was in college I spent a stupid amount of time doing the aforementioned configuration on my devices, to get them to play just right. My time was valued at very little whereas I did not make a lot of money, so Apple did not seem like a good value. Now, I’m out of college, I have less time and more money, and I wouldn’t dream of using any other devices.”

  CAPTEURDEREVES: “I’d prefer not. I love google services because they play nicely with any device. My work computer is Windows and dealing with iCal, photos, notes, and other apple services just don’t work as well outside of the ecosystem. Additionally, Apple services tend to not be as well build and reliable as others available. However, if there is no chance of ever using anything but Apple, the services will definitely play nicer together.”

  More at Reddit

As you can see from the posts I included above, most people seem to give Apple’s ecosystem a thumbs up. But there are a few folks that prefer not to be a part of it, and more power to them if that’s how they feel. No company can meet the needs of every user, and that’s why it’s great there are other choices besides Apple.

Apple’s ecosystem is a big reason why I use the company’s products

For me one of the biggest reasons I use Apple’s products is the company’s ecosystem. Over the years I’ve found that it simplifies my life by making it easier for me to access my data across a range of devices such as the 5K iMac, MacBook Pro, Apple Watch, iPhone or iPad Pro.

And I can easily start doing something on one device, and then switch to another one without missing a beat via Continuity. I don’t have to worry about syncing my data across devices, things mostly just work with iCloud.

For example, I’m writing this post in iA Writer. It’s my favorite writing app and it’s available for iOS devices, but also for the Mac. So I can start writing on my Mac, and then easily switch to my iPhone or iPad Pro (or vice versa).

Whatever writing I’ve done on one device simply appears on my other devices in iA Writer. This makes it easy for me to switch to whichever device I need to use to finish my post, and it lets me start writing even if I’m nowhere near my Mac.

I don’t feel locked into Apple’s ecosystem

Some people worry that they might become "locked in" to Apple's ecosystem if they buy a Mac, iPad, iPhone, etc.. But it’s quite possible to own Apple devices, use some of the company’s services (or not) and also use services by other companies such as Google, DropBox, Amazon, etc.

Being part of Apple’s ecosystem certainly has its advantages, but you aren’t forced to use all of the company’s services. A good example of this is Apple Music. I don’t subscribe to Apple Music because I have an Amazon Prime membership, which gives me access to Amazon Music.

While Apple Music is a fine streaming service, I’ve found that Amazon Music more than meets my needs. And since I already get it with my Prime membership, why would I bother to pay for Apple Music too? I have Apple Music turned off in iTunes and in the iOS Music app, so I don't even see its interface elements on my Mac or iOS devices.

Apple Music is still available if I want to subscribe at some point, but I’m not forced to use it. Instead, I have the Amazon Music app on my Macs, iPhone and iPad. Amazon's streaming music service works great for me on all of my devices.

iBooks is another example of a product that is part of Apple’s ecosystem but is also something that I don’t use. I prefer Amazon’s Kindle app, along with Audible’s audiobook app. I listen more to audiobooks these days than anything else, but sometimes I also will read Kindle books on my iPad Pro or iPhone.

So it’s quite possible to use Apple’s devices, along with certain services, but not to be “locked in” to everything Apple offers. There are plenty of alternative services that work very well on macOS and iOS, so nobody is really forced to use Apple’s services if they prefer not to do so.

And if a day ever comes when I really want to leave Apple's ecosystem, I know that I can do that with some reasonable planning (in terms of applications and services on the new platform), and movement of data from my Apple devices and iCloud to the new ecosystem.

Apple's ecosystem isn't like the Hotel California, you can check out anytime you like and you really can leave.

_Did you miss a post? Check the Eye On Apple home page to get caught up with the latest news, discussions and rumors about Apple._

Jim Lynch is a technology analyst and online community manager who has also written for many leading industry publications over the years, including ITworld, InfoWorld, CIO, PCMag, ExtremeTech, and numerous others.

_The opinions expressed in this blog are those of Jim Lynch and do not necessarily represent those of IDG Communications, Inc., its parent, subsidiary or affiliated companies._

Copyright © 2016 IDG Communications, Inc.

question: What does the article say about the advantages of Apple’s ecosystem?

answer: Apple’s products all tend to work together in a way that the company’s competitors still can’t match. They are user-friendly and less troubleshooting. Beingg in the system saves time. You do not need to worry about syncing. You still can use services by other companies such as Google, DropBox, Amazon, etc.

question: Why some people do not want to use Apple's ecosystem?

answer: They do not want to feel locked into any ecosystem. It is more expensive. Some people love Google services.

question: What does the article say about the hysr=tory of Apple?


text:
Mate, I said stop that.

>Sorry, I promised I would x

You did, you’re incorrigible

>Well if you’re going to encourage (ha ha) me, then I might give in and make you a ‘mate with benefits’ lol

Hmmmmmm

>When you say Hmmmm, I’m not sure if that is “Hmmm I’m not sure whether I like you saying that” or Hmmmmmmm “that’s nice” lol.  I’ll take a risk on the later.
I’m trying not to fall for this again.

>Again, lol. Well how can I help it if I when I close my eyes I can smell your perfume, feel your breathe on my cheek, taste the saltiness of your skin...  it’s so vivid it’s tangible.  I wish.

Are you saying that I’m sweaty? Lol

>You will be, he he. If I have my way.  No really, I would be soo gentle with you, taking all the time that you would allow me.  Do you know what? I do feel really close to you!  But not as close as the taxi I have sent to you and is waiting outside now.  Go on, throw caution to the wind, jump in for the ride of your life!!! Well a short drive to my hotel anyway. And don’t worry, I’ll be the perfect gentleman.  I have everything here that you might need. Just do it, open your door, get in the cab and come to me.

OMG, you said, you promised you would never turn up.

>I haven’t, my driver has. :-) See you soon??

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm  - OK xx

>Boing ….. xxx

Mike paced the room over and over again checking that he had covered for every eventuality.  “What if Sharon does just want to just have a quick drink and a chat”, he thought.  “that’s fine, that’s what I promised her anyway, after all, we are trying to be mates, huh, friends, Mike said to himself, whilst all along knowing, hoping, that when they got together the chemistry he so clearly felt, the likeminded flirty thoughts they enjoyed sharing during their text messaging, would bubble up and become a physical reality.

The 8 minutes 30 seconds that it took for Sharon to be driven to the hotel seemed like an eternity. The sudden knock at the door made him jump and made his heart race.  Oh god, he thought, is this a good idea? She might take one look at me and realise that fantasy is one thing, reality is another? Calm down, calm down, deep breathes, he told himself out load.

Taking a final look around the room to make sure that it was not overly romantic or too presumptuous in its setting, Mike walked to the door and peeped through the spyhole.  Oh god, there she is, even more gorgeous in the flesh than he had remembered.

With his knees like jelly, his head spinning and his insides all gooey :-), Mike opened the door.

Hi, said Sharon, her face warming to a soft crimson colour. This only served to enhance her beauty, drawing Mikes gaze to her bright, deep and smiling eyes. Trying to say hello back, Mike, stammered and in turn felt the heat rise in his cheeks.  “Come in, I’m really glad you were brave enough to accept my invitation” he eventually managed say.

Attempting a polite air kiss to the side of Sharon’s cheek, Mike tripped on her foot and clumsily stumbled forward pressing her against the corridor wall. For the briefest of moments the friends looked deep into each other’s eyes, allowed a small sigh, of what could have been pleasure, to escape them, before bursting into a fit of laughter and giggles.

To be continued….

title: [RO] Stop it mate!!

question: Summarize the conversation between Mike and Sharon.

answer: Mike and Sharon are conversing over text messages and they're talking about meeting each other and cozying up. Mike then mentions that he's in a hotel and he's sent a taxi to pick Sharon up and that she should open her door and get in the cab to come to him.

question: Summarize the situation at the hotel.

answer: Mike is anxious about Sharon's arrival. He's not sure whether they'll just remain friends or their flirtatious messages may lead to some physical reality. He paces around the room for 8.5 minutes and then hears the knock on the door. He finally musters up the courage to open the door and goes weak in his knees. He's stunned by Sharon's beauty and trips on her foot while blowing a kiss at her. They look into each other's eyes and then burst into laughter.

question: Summarize how Mike and Sharon spent the day.


text:
By Pamela Toler (Regular Contributor)

[Civil War nurse Cornelia Hancock]

Civil War nurse Cornelia Hancock

The Civil War was a pivotal experience for many of the women who served as nurses, whether they served for three weeks or three years. For many it was their first time away from family and home, and their first step outside the narrow framework of what society expected from them. They learned not only new skills but also new confidence. Whether in the immediacy of letters at the time or with the distance of memory, they expressed deep satisfaction with the work and the way of life, though they often groused about a particular detail. Katharine Prescott Wormeley, who served first on the hospital transport ships and later as the matron for a hospital for convalescent soldiers in Rhode Island, claimed to speak for the army nurses as a whole: “We all know in our hearts that it is thorough enjoyment to be here,—it is life, in short; and we wouldn’t be anywhere else for anything in the world.” Emily Parsons, who served as a nurse for two years at a variety of hospitals despite being blind in one eye, partially deaf, and lame, took the sentiment one step further: “I should like to live so all the rest of my life.”

Parsons, like most of the women, and the soldiers they cared for, went home at the war’s end. Nursing had been a temporary part of their lives, just like being a soldier was a temporary part of the lives of most of the men who served in the war. Many stepped back into their old lives as daughters, seamstresses, schoolteachers, and wives.   Others created lives that were a little bigger than they had been before the war.

Some made a living writing. The most famous of these was Louisa May Alcott, whose account of her Civil War experience, _Hospital Sketches_, was the first work she published under her own name.

A few women who served as nurses during the war went on to earn medical degrees. Vesta Swarts, for instance, was a high school principal in Auburn, Indiana, before the war. She nursed at Louisville, Kentucky, from sometime in 1864 until March 1865, when she was honorably discharged, a fact she mentions with pride in an essay she wrote on her war work. After the war, she became a physician–a challenging proposition for women–and returned to Auburn, where she practiced medicine with her husband for the next thirty years.

Many of the middle-class women who volunteered as nurses were part of the large and varied community of American reformers before the war. Their wealthier counterparts often came from families who expected them to take part in high-profile charity work. After the war, both middle-class reformers and wealthy philanthropists used their newfound experience at organizing, political activism, and manipulating their way through male-dominated bureaucracies to expand their influence. Some took on new leadership roles at the local level. Parsons, for instance, organized a campaign to open a charity hospital for women and children in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts. A few used their experience as a springboard to national leadership roles, founding groups such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union, the American Social Science Association, and theAmerican Red Cross. They involved themselves in opening schools, reforming prisons and asylums, improving conditions for women and children, “saving” unmarried mothers and their children (both in moral and practical terms), and providing vocational training for girls. Some became active in the labor, women’s rights, and temperance movements, which expanded after the war to fill the political and emotional space previously occupied by abolition. Others spearheaded social welfare programs designed to alleviate the human misery left by the war. They formed relief funds for war widows and orphans, and programs to settle unemployed veterans on farmland in the West, and schools for former slaves. Cornelia Hancock, for instance helped found a freedman’s school in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where she taught ex-slaves for a decade. (Not as innocuous as it sounds. At one point those who objected to the concept of education for black children riddled the schoolhouse with fifty bullets.) Several decades after the war, they used those same skills to advocate for themselves. Arguing that they too had served their country, they successfully pushed through the Union Army Nurses Pension Act of 1892, which provided government pensions for army nurses similar to those given to Union soldiers.

The one thing few of them did was work as nurses.

But if they didn’t continue to work as nurses after the war, their collective experience in the war had convinced Americans that nursing was not only a respectable job for a woman but that it could be a skilled profession.

In 1868, the American Medical Association recommended that general hospitals open schools to train nurses. It was a two- edged response to the success of volunteer nurses in the Civil War. The AMA both acknowledged the value of skilled nursing in hospitals and hoped to avoid another flood of untrained and uncontrollable volunteer nurses in future wars. By 1880, there were a total of 15 nursing schools in the United States; by 1900, there were 432. Nursing had become recognized as a skilled profession.

[Clara Barton with a graduating class of nurses, 1903]

Clara Barton with a graduating class of nurses, 1903

WONDERS AND MARVELS IS PLEASED TO HAVE SEVERAL COPIES OF _THE HEROINES OF MERCY STREET_ BY OUR OWN PAMELA TOLER FOR GIVE AWAY. SIGN UP BELOW BEFORE 11:00 PM EST ON FEBRUARY 29 FOR A CHANCE TO WIN. PLEASE NOTE CAN ONLY SHIP TO US ADDRESSES AT THIS TIME.

question: Summarize ways in which women who served as nurses during the civil war spent their professional time after the war.

answer:
Most of the women who served as nurses during the American Civil War reported a high sense of duty and fulfillment in their roles. However, not all of them picked up a nursing profession after the war due to the barriers to women entering the medical profession as well as the standing of nursing as a career.
Some of the women, like Louisa May Alcott, made a living writing books. Her "Hospital Sketches" was the first work she published under her own name. A few of the women went on to earn medical degrees. Vesta Swart went o to become a physician and practiced with her husband for thirty years. Most affluent women who served when to involve themselves in charity work in education, prisons, and women's rights.

question: Why did it take so long for the American Medical Association to open the general hospital schools to train nurses?


text:
WHAT IS NALOXONE?

Naloxone (commonly known by brand names such as Narcan, Prenoxad or Nyxoid) is a medication which can reverse an opioid overdose. Opioids include illegally obtained drugs such as heroin, or legal drugs prescribed for pain such as oxycodone and fentanyl.  If someone you know is at risk of opioid overdose, you can access naloxone and know how to use it.

HOW CAN I GET IT?

Funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, cohealth is providing naloxone for FREE for people who require it. You do not need to have a health care card to get naloxone for FREE and it can be provided to family members, friends or carers of people who are at risk of overdosing.

There are a few ways to get naloxone:

-   Visit a cohealth NSP – Braybrook, Collingwood, Fitzroy, Health Works or Innerspace for training and to arrange for a voucher to get naloxone from one of the local participating pharmacies
-   Visit your GP for a prescription, then visit a cohealth NSP for a voucher

Our peer educators can provide overdose response training and access to naloxone in an outreach capacity in the western suburbs of Melbourne. If you live in the western suburbs, call or text 0408 246 696 or email od.ed@cohealth.org.au and they may be able to come to you.

HOW DO I USE IT?

cohealth provides training and a kit to help you properly use and store naloxone. Free naloxone training is available through cohealth’s needle and syringe program (NSP). Simply drop in to any of the cohealth NSP sites during open hours.

WHAT WILL IT COST ME?

Funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, cohealth is providing naloxone for FREE for people who require it. You can get naloxone for free until 30 June 2021.

Call Health Works 9448 5511 for any queries.

PARTICIPATING PHARMACIES:

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| BRAYBROOK AND HEALTH  |                       | INNERSPACE            |
| WORKS                 |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Westgarth Pharmacy    |                       | cohealth Pharmacy     |
|                       |                       |                       |
| 62 High St, NORTHCOTE |                       | 365 Hoddle St,        |
|                       |                       | COLLINGWOOD           |
| (03) 9481 3807        |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | (03) 9448 5528        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Daffey’s Pharmacy     |                       | John Silverii’s       |
|                       |                       | Pharmacy              |
| 130 Nicholson St      |                       |                       |
| FOOTSCRAY             |                       | 333 St Georges Rd,    |
|                       |                       | FITZROY NORTH         |
| (03) 9687 1164        |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | (03) 9481 0671        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Footscray Plaza       |                       | Tambassis Pharmacy    |
| Pharmacy              |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | 32 Sydney Rd          |
| Shop 1, 18 Albert St  |                       | BRUNSWICK             |
| FOOTSCRAY             |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | (03) 9387 8830        |
| (03) 9687 1601        |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Devonshire Pharmacy   |                       | Newton & Leung        |
|                       |                       | Pharmacy              |
| 22 Devonshire Rd,     |                       |                       |
| SUNSHINE              |                       | 272 Smith St,         |
|                       |                       | COLLINGWOOD           |
| (03) 9312 4239        |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | (03) 9416 0100        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Terry White Pharmacy  |                       | Perry Moshidis        |
|                       |                       | Pharmacy              |
| Neale Rd, DEER PARK   |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | 22/246 Church St,     |
| (03) 9363 6065        |                       | RICHMOND              |
|                       |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | (03) 9428 3640        |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Soul Pattinson        |                       | Schneier Pharmacy     |
| Chemist               |                       |                       |
|                       |                       | 113 Elgin St, CARLTON |
| 83 Watton St,         |                       |                       |
| WERRIBEE              |                       | (03) 9347 9727        |
|                       |                       |                       |
| (03) 9741 2864        |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| Lowe’s Amcal &        |                       |                       |
| Compounding Pharmacy  |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| 69-71 Watton St,      |                       |                       |
| WERRIBEE              |                       |                       |
|                       |                       |                       |
| (03) 9741 2555        |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       |                       |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

question: What is Naloxone?

answer: Commonly known by brand names such as Narcan, Prenoxad or Nyxoid, it is a medication which can reverse an opioid overdose.

question: How come people who need it can get it for free for a limited time?

answer: The Department of Health and Human Services is sponsoring free access.


text:
They say just before death, you remember every specific detail that occurred that day.
Grey haze filled the dark sky hiding the golden sphere, while the polished barb wired fence bordered around us. The window frame seemed to paint the outside world for what it really was for us ‘Thorns’; depressing. The elderly grey hair, blue eyed history teacher, Mrs Fischer, strolled around the gloomy room and handed out the textbooks like every other day. Adolf Hitler VI appeared on the front of the worn, green textbook, saluting a floating marble Swastika.

I remember envying the so called genetically superior, comparing their rich lifestyle of freedom to mine, wasting away my days with my pregnant mother in a modern day concentration camp. Both her and I looked the same as the Roses of the population, but we were punished for having the genes that pass on the inferior traits. The thought of my mother's unborn child having the physical characteristics of the thorn worried me, as I had seen first hand the consequences that came from this.

In an attempt to distract my wandering mind, I opened the green history textbook.
“This book was written under the law and rule of our savior, Adolf Hitler and his predecessors. Abiding by his way of life will ensure the nation of New Germany will live peaceful and worthwhile lives”
I couldn't help but think of the birth and death of my brother, and seeing Hitler be referred to as a 'Savior' awoke a new fire inside of me. I flipped to the next page, expecting the worst of it to continue, but all that was there was a note.

‘Gerard, you need to run, get out of here and back home to your mother before she gives birth. Once I give you the sign, meet me at the side alleyway of the school. Don’t worry; we are all going to get out safely. Mrs Fischer.’

The time that followed was one adrenaline fueled blur. My heart raced as Mrs Fischer had given me the obvious sign by telling me to see the headmaster, and fast. The classroom that was my protective barrier against all the outside evil seemed to shatter as I tread upon the outside world.
Unclean air fueled my body as I darted in between soldiers and buildings. Reality was starting to set in as my adrenaline dissolved and asthma reappeared. I doubled over into the alleyway, trying to force as much oxygen into my body as possible. Before my asthma could take full effect, Mrs Fischer pulled up in a grey car and tinted windows beside me and passed me my asthma puffer.
The downtime after the adrenaline rush caused consciousness to escape me, which made it difficult to decipher reality from dreams. Bumps along the road had finally  caused me to wake from my disjointed slumber and realise my journey was coming to an end . The sky was a darker shade of grey as it became backdrop to Mrs Fischer's small blue house seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

The oddest part, was not being at Mrs Fischer's home, but what she had furnished it didn't seem to fit the criteria of an elderly teacher. Guns, axes and swords of all sizes where hung all over the walls, which gave me both a feeling of safety and fear. The gun crazed history teacher lead me up the creaky staircase to my mother, each creak heightening my level of self awareness.

I walked into the candle lit room, where my mother was laying there with her long blonde hair draping over her fear stricken blue eyes. It wasn’t long before she was ready to give birth, which Mrs Fischer instructed me to sit beside my mother talking to her to ease the pain. Mum gripped my hand harder which each push, every yelp creating tears which slid down her face.

After an eternity of half an hour, my sister was born. Mrs Fischer, who started to weep, wrapped the baby in a pink towel and handed her to my mother. As soon as my mother had the baby in her hands, she let out a tsunami of tears, realising the baby was born with Downs Syndrome. I grabbed the newborn, taking in her black hair and brown eyes, trying to make her feel welcome in a world where people will kill him for not fitting in.
Suddenly, footsteps where heard downstairs. The stairs started creaking as if someone was sneaking up on us. Fear struck the three of us in the room, knowing full well who was here. Mrs Fischer grabbed me and whispered for me to run as far as possible with the newborn.

I leaped out onto the balcony of the room, which contained a staircase to the back of the house. I finally reached ground level, where I turned to see a man with blonde hair and electric blue eyes facing me. One of the Nazi soldiers. I turned to face the wilderness, if I could make it to the trees, sister and I would live. I took off, faster than I ever have, lengthening my pace with each step. The pain of trying to force air into my lungs was present, as I slowed right down with a hundred metres to go. I collapsed, into a heaving ball of mess, cursing my asthma. I began to turn onto my back, gasping for air. The Nazi soldier was right behind me, holding his black pistol directing it at me. I looked down the barrel of certain death, trying to peacefully accept my life. My whole day flashed through my eyes, all my mistakes and uncertainties seemed to project on the dark sky.

Bang.

(Edit: Formatting)

title: Trimming of Thorns (Dystopian Narrative)

question: What is the setting of the story?

answer: In this story, Germany has won the war and the civilians live in a world the Nazis have created. In this world, the Roses are blonde and blue-eyed and the Thorns are dark. Roses live an opulent life while those carrying Thorn genes live in concentration camps.

question: Why does the narrator fear for the safety of his mother's unborn child?

answer: He and his mother carry dark genes. If the baby has dark hair and eyes, its life will be in danger. When the baby is born, not only is it dark, it also has Down's syndrome so the soldiers will kill it.


text:
[Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has been asked to appear in person by a number of committees - REUTERS]

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has been asked to appear in person by a number of committees - REUTERS
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is set to appear before Congress but not Parliament, in a move that has outraged British MPs.

_The Daily Telegraph_ understands that Mr Zuckerberg is likely to appear before at least one of the three US committees which have invited him to testify, if not a combination of the three.

Mr Zuckerberg’s decision is likely to force fellow technology chiefs including Google’s Sundar Pichai and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey to also testify before the Senate Judicary Committee next month.

The move puts the US in the lead for the investigation of Silicon Valley’s privacy practices and handling of personal data.

The Facebook boss,who was last week summoned to give evidence on the growing controversy surrounding his company, on Tuesday offered one of two executives to instead appear in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee to answer questions about the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Facebook said they had been “asked personally” by Mr Zuckerberg, but Damian Collins, the chair of the committee, labelled the snub “absolutely astonishing” and said he would press Mr Zuckerberg again to give evidence.

Facebook and Cambridge Analytica | The story so far

It came as the committee heard that the personal information of 50m Facebook users obtained in 2013, which Cambridge Analytica then obtained and allegedly exploited to target voters while working for the Trump campaign, may have spread well beyond the British political consultant.

Christopher Wylie, the whistle-blower who worked at Cambridge Analytica, told the the DCMS committee that the data went “everywhere” including into the hands of Palantir, a secretive US data company that has carried out work for US and UK spy agencies.

The claim heaps more pressure on Facebook to come clean about the way it has protected users. Cambridge Analytica insists the user data, which was wrongly obtained by the firm, was deleted and not used.

Mr Collins wrote to Mr Zuckerberg last week asking for a “senior Facebook executive” to appear in front of the committee but added: “I hope this representative will be you.”

Facebook UK’s policy chief Rebecca Stimson replied on Tuesday offering to send either Mike Schroepfer, the company’s chief technology officer, or Chris Cox, its chief product officer.

"Facebook fully recognises the level of public and Parliamentary interest in these issues and support your belief that these issues must be addressed at the most senior levels of the company by those in an authoritative position to answer your questions," Ms Stimson wrote.

"As such Mr Zuckerberg has personally asked one of his deputies to make themselves available to give evidence in person to the Committee."

She wrote that Mr Schroepfer or Mr Cox both "have extensive expertise in these issues and are well placed to answer the Committee's questions on these complex subjects".

During a four-hour hearing in which the committee questioned Mr Wylie and Paul-Olivier Dehaye, a privacy activist, the committee heard the data taken from Facebook was used by a Cambridge Analytica affiliate to build a sophisticated advertising targeting tool, then used in both the US election and EU referendum of 2016. Facebook said on Tuesday that just 1pc of the 270,000 Facebook users whose accounts were exploited to gather data of 50m users were from inside the European Union.

Mr Collins said Mr Zuckerberg’s response was unacceptable. "Given the extraordinary evidence we have heard so far today… I think it is absolutely astonishing that Mark Zuckerberg is not prepared to submit himself for questioning in front of a Parliamentary or Congressional hearing given that these are questions of fundamental importance and concern to Facebook users and as well to our inquiry," Mr Collins said. “I think I would urge him to think again.”

Technology intelligence - newsletter promo - EOA

Mr Collins said he was prepared to hear evidence from Mr Cox but hoped that Mr Zuckerberg would change his mind and give evidence either in person or over video link.

The European Union’s justice commissioner, Vera Jourova, has meanwhile given the company two weeks to answer questions about how Europeans have been affected by the data leak.

In a letter to Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg she urged the company to "fully cooperate with the European data protection authorities in the context of their investigation".

MORE ON FACEBOOK AND MARK ZUCKERBERG'S TESTIMONY:

_Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View._

question: Why was Mark Zuckerberg asked to testify before Congress?

answer: It was a move that allowed the US to lead the world in the investigation of privacy practices in Silicon Valley. Google and Twitter representatives are likely to follow.

question: Did Zuckerberg want to testify?

answer: He did not. In fact, he asked two separate executives personally to appear before congress in his place to discuss the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but the chair of the committee calling Zuckerberg, Damien Collins, said he would press even harder for Zuckerberg to give evidence.

question: What is the Cambridge Analytica scandal?

answer: The personal information of 50 million Facebook users were obtained by Cambridge Analytica and exploited to target voters while working for the Trump campaign.

question: What was the result of the investigation?

answer: The four hour hearing was unacceptable to Mr. Collins. He said that given the evidence, it is astonishing that Zuckerberg ins't prepared to submit himself for questioning. Mr. Collins urged Zuckerberg to think again about his position.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The Cambridge Analytica scandal is a massive scandal in which the private information of 50 million Facebook users was obtained and exploited by Cambridge Analytica and used to target voters for the Trump campaign. Zuckerberg was called upon to appear before a Congressional committee, but instead sent 2 top executives. This move baffled and astonished Damien Collins, the leader of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee. The evidence that was given in the four hour hearing made him want to question Zuckerberg even more, and he would urge Zuckerberg to rethink his position and appear before the committee.


text:
[NoFap]

1.

      WHAT IS THE "PRESSURE OF THE STREAK"?

      As I was quitting smoking a while back, an interesting fact stuck with me. During my previous attempts at quitting smoking I would often think that the first cigarette after 5 days would be _amazing._ I mean _it had to be._ And then the one after 6 would be _even better_. And so forth.

      This is a phenomenon I like to call the "Pressure of the Streak" - the mistake here is that we believe that that first "drag" of our bad habit becomes more and more sweet with every day. That somehow relapsing after day 10 will be a "magical" experience.

      The truth is this pressure builds because we allow it! Let me explain.

      HOW THE PRESSURE "BUILDS" (OR RATHER, WHY IT FEELS LIKE IT'S BUILDING)

      Here's how the "urge cycle" works.

      1.  You get an urge.
      2.  Your brain looks at the urge and thinks "man, I really want _x_ or _y_".
      3.  You beat the urge.
      4.  _Your brain stores the fact that the cycle "ran" in the back of your head. (Remember this one!)_
      5.  After some amount of time - seconds, hours, days, months - a new urge occurs.

      So if you've had and then beaten 5 urges, your brains subconsciously knows you've had "a few", even if you're not counting. If you've had and beaten 100, your brain subconsciously knows that you've had "_tons_ of urges" that you've fought.

      Unfortunately the side effect of this is that with every conquered urge the brain stores, it makes your past addiction look more and more monstrous and overwhelming. After all, an addiction where you beat 100 urges must have been _really tough_ right?

      DAMMIT BRAIN! WHY DO YOU DO THESE THINGS TO ME?

      Why? Simple science, of course! The fact of the matter is that our brain isn't built to handle "time" very well. Let me demonstrate. (This is a bit long, but well worth it)

      I want you to think, right now, of _all_ the things in your life that need to get done! All the homework, the studying, the cleaning, the chores, the obligations to your friends, your family, the hobbies you want to pursue, the dreams you have. _Everything._ _And_ t_hink of all the work it's going to take for good measure.
      _
      Stressed out? Admit it - your heart rate spiked _just a little bit_ there [:D].

      This is because to your brain, all of your tasks just looked like a giant, evil, unstoppable mass of impossibleness - _because you put them there all at once_. And worse, it thinks that because they're all in your head right now that they _have to be done at the same time_ (remember it has a poor sense of time in this regard)! Madness! Of course you're stressed!

      The same _kind_ of thing happens when you're on a streak. Your brain believes that the "length" of the streak and the memories of all the "difficult times" and "powerful urges" combine into one, giant monster that's coming back to crush you! And sometimes it makes it feel like all these urges are attacking you at once!

      NOOO! BUT IT'S MY BRAIN! SO THERE'S NO STOPPING IT?
      Calm down sailor! I wouldn't be posting on here just to rile you up if I didn't have a solution to offer, would I? The solution will sound silly and simple, but that's only because now you're conscious of what's going on in your brain! In fact I'm going to hazard a guess that you've already figured it out.

      You need to calmly and collectedly _focus on the fact that you are dealing with one, single, solitary urge_. And one urge on its own is something you've beaten before, so you _can beat it again!_ Also, don't actively "fight" the urge - see the "Side Note" below for more details on that.

      That's it! I know it sounds simple, but if you take to heart the reasons _why_ this "pressure" seems to build in your brain, this method will be _infinitely_ more effective, because you'll understand what's really going on.

      SIDE NOTE: WHY YOU SHOULDN'T "FIGHT" URGES
      When you have an urge, you'll notice that the first thing that comes over you is a feeling of discomfort. You, being aware that you are _having an urge,_ will _fight the urge, because you don't want to feel the discomfort of having it.
      _
      But _this is a trap_! When you actively _fight_ the urge, you fall into a "Negative Feedback Loop" that works like this:

      1.  Brain notices urge.
      2.  Brain says "Uh-oh! An urge! Fighting time! Let's do this!"
      3.  Your entire brain mobilizes to fight the urge.
      4.  _Because your brain has mobilized to fight and is actively focusing on the urge, it is now "convinced" that the urge must be strong._ I mean, why would it be using all that energy otherwise, right?
      5.  Your brain stays focused on the urge, fighting it for a while. But it can't seem to "beat" it. However, really it's the fact that you focus on the urge actually _keeps it in your head._ This means that no matter how hard your brain fights, the urge won't actually disappear!
      6.  You now think "I need to throw more at it, it's getting worse!". And so you do.
      7.  Now go to step 4. Rinse and repeat until your brain runs out of willpower, decides the situation is hopeless and you relapse.

      So how do we break this cycle?

      We need to _accept the urge_, and all the discomfort that comes with it! Then we need to step back, observe the urge and let it fly around in our head. It can't hurt us until we act on it, and if we let if fly around for a while undisturbed, it will disappear!

      _Think of your urge as a wasp that's flying around near you - if you try to swat it, it will fight back and bite you. If you, on the other hand, relax and let it be... well you'll be nervous that it's flying around, sure. But eventually it WILL fly away from you and leave you alone! And that's the end goal - to not get stung!_

      TL;DR/CONCLUSION
      Your brain often makes your urges appear "stronger" when you're on a streak, because it remembers all the previous urges you conquered. I lumps them all into a big "urge monster" because that is simply how the brain do (actually it's for space and energy efficiency). This makes every next urge seem "more powerful" than the last - in reality each individual urge is only a little bit stronger or weaker than any other individual urge.

      The secret to beating this is realizing what your brain is doing, and then also consciously realizing that when you're having an urge, you need to relax (see section above) and constantly remind yourself that it's just one urge, not "a culmination of all the urges of your entire streak".

      Stay strong, fellow NoFappers [:)]!

2.

3.

      Informative post! Keep up the good work!

4.

      Great post and backs up my approach of embracing my urges and going with the flow of them. Hands off, don't act but feel and embrace the energy.

5.

      This is exactly what I'm looking for.
      Thanks a lot mate!

      Cheers,
      Hyperaktiv

6.

      Very very nice post for everyone to learn from it. Nice job man

7.

      I completely agree with this. We sometimes give a simple urge more power and respect than it deserves. The more 'resistance' we put into fighting it the stronger it appears to be.

      I _accept_ the urge. Welcome it. Accept that if I wanted to, I _could_ fap. I even give myself persmission to do it, as long as I ask myself two simple questions. Then I ask myself "But do I _really_ want to?" and if the answer is yes, (it usually isn't) ask myself again "_Really_? You _really_ want to do this?"
      The answer, so far, has always come back "No".

      Here's an excersise / visualisation that helps me "Let go"* of the urge. You can either do it, or just imagine doing it (once you've actually done it a few times, I find just thinking it through works just as well)…

      Imagine you are holding a pencil, tightly in your hand. Your hand is facing upwards. Turn your hand so it face downwards. The pencil, of course, stays put. The more effort you put into clenching your fist, the less likely it is to fall. Turn your hand back to facing up, and gently relax your grip. Open your fingers. Now, with the slightest tilt, the pencil will roll off your palm. You've "let it go". Think of your urge as the pencil. Let it go.

      *I nicked this from something called "The Sedona Method", a bit of "new age mumbo jumbo" I dabbled in a while back. Still like the metaphor though.

question: Summarize what the passage meant by the nature of pressure and how human brains amplify it.

answer:
The writer states that quitting a bad habit can be hard because of how our brain is wired. When humans get an urge, e.g. to smoke, and refuse to indulge in it, the brain stores up the experience. The more the urge is shunned the more the brain process the experience, giving us the idea that beating the urge must have been very tough since we've done it many times. This phenomenon happens because the brain is bad at processing time.
The writer gives another analogy about working on tasks. He gives examples of cleaning, studying, and other hobbies that need to be done during the day. He believes the brain can amplify the effort needed to do these tasks so much that they seem insurmountable and undesirable, even though some of them are not really that difficult. This insurmountable feeling transforms into an uncomfortable feeling that humans try to get rid of by procrastinating.

question: Name the area of the brain that finds it difficult handling time.