Wildlife biologists will be deployed in Brooklyn wooded areas to distribute baits containing an oral rabies vaccine. All pet owners should keep an eye out.

Brooklyn's Raccoons Are Getting Vaccinated Against Rabies This Week

As the climate changes, the bloodthirsty creatures are moving north from Latin America, bringing the threat of rabies with them.

The Vampire Bat Is Moving Closer to the US. That’s a Problem

The raccoon-friendly Alpine Inn is keeping a close eye on their critter friends amid the discovery of a rare rabies strain in Douglas County.

Omaha's Alpine Inn keeping close eye on local raccoons amid rabies discovery

Following Monday’s announcement of efforts being made by local, state, and federal agencies to prevent the spread of a rare strain of raccoon rabies, a local restaurant said they aren’t concerned.They’re constantly keeping a close eye on dozens of critters in the area.

Raccoon-loving Omaha restaurant keeping close eye on critters amid rabies discovery

Omahans finish handing out candy to wandering ghouls and goblins on Halloween, wildlife and health officials will begin distributing a different sort of treat to another population of masked opportunists — the raccoons of east-central Omaha.

Health and wildlife officials prepare to tempt Omaha's raccoons with oral rabies packets

The Douglas County Health Department is continuing efforts to prevent the spread of wildlife rabies by putting out oral rabies vaccine baits for raccoons.The department is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fish and Wildlife Services,

Douglas County distributing oral rabies vaccine baits to prevent spread of disease

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island has had four raccoons and a cat test positive for rabies in 2023, the New York City Health Department said Monday. Those five animals represent the most positive tests in any of the five boroughs.

NYC Health Dept. reveals how many animals tested positive for rabies on Staten Island this year

The Douglas County Health Department is continuing efforts to prevent the spread of wildlife rabies by putting out oral rabies vaccine baits for raccoons.

Douglas County Health Department distributing oral rabies vaccine baits to prevent spread of disease

A small litter of raccoon siblings without their mother were reunited in Mission Viejo, thanks to the city's Animal Services Center.

Orphaned Raccoon Siblings Reunited In Mission Viejo

STURBRIDGE, Mass. (WWLP) – A 22News viewer sent a video of two bears that were fighting over a pumpkin in their Sturbridge backyard. A 22News viewer posted on their YouTube channel the video they captured of two bears on their back legs fighting over a pumpkin.

VIDEO: Two bears fighting over pumpkin in Sturbridge

Raccoons

raccoons

Dogs of War: Digital Warriors Fighting Russian Disinformation and Supporting Ukraine

In an era when memes often dictate internet culture, Ukrainian maritime drones continue to make the rounds. Yet, these drones aren’t just fodder for online humor; their continued appearance in the Russo-Ukrainian war is showing that Russia’s navy, once dominant, has found itself outmaneuvered and pushed into retreat by a country with no navy. At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in early March 2022, the Ukrainian Navy sank their flagship frigate, the seasoned , to prevent Russian possession. Scuttling this ship left Ukraine with only a handful of riverine patrol boats and limited capability to engage Russia on the open sea. Hetman Sahaidachny Meanwhile, Russia had its full Black Sea Fleet at its disposal, including ships captured and reflagged from the Ukrainian Navy when Russia invaded and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. As a result, Ukraine lost over 80% of its after Russia’s invasion of Crimea. naval capabilities Russia’s navy dominated the Black Sea, until now However, over the past year, Russia, boasting the world’s second-largest navy, has been forced to relocate a significant portion of its Black Sea Fleet, including all its submarines, from Sevastopol in occupied Crimea to Novorossiysk farther east on the Black Sea coast in Russia – more than 570 kilometers away from Odesa and other targets in Ukraine. Kilo-class In May 2023, a Ukrainian maritime drone struck the Russian reconnaissance vessel in the Black Sea. Initially, Moscow asserted they had successfully repelled the attack. However, by June 2023, Ukraine intensified its offensive, deploying six remote-controlled maritime drones to target the Russian intelligence vessel , approximately 300 kilometers from Sevastopol, challenging Russian naval dominance beyond Crimea. Ivan Khuprirs Priazovye Ukraine’s growing maritime abilities were once again underlined when their drones in early August. incapacitated a Russian warship and an oil tanker Following the attacks, Former United States Navy Admiral James George Stavridis , “We’re at a juncture in military evolution akin to the game-changers like Agincourt or Pearl Harbor. Expensive manned surface warships now face existential threats from affordable drones.” remarked , the secretary of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Council, pointed out that “With each new combat mission, Ukrainian combat UAVs and maritime drones become more accurate, operators more experienced, combat coordination more effective, and manufacturers get the opportunity to improve tactical and technical characteristics.” Oleksiy Danilov During this attack, the Russian oil tanker “ ,” built in 2014 with a 5,000-ton capacity, was targeted with 450 kilograms of TNT while ferrying fuel for the Russian military. This tanker was integral to fueling Russian operations in and was under US sanctions. SIG Syria The maritime drones could change the complexion of the war by forcing Russia to commit more resources to protecting its ports, warships, and cargo ships that it uses to transport weapons, fuel, and other supplies for its military. Ukraine further issued a stern , deeming six Russian Black Sea ports, Taman, Anapa, Novorossiysk, Gelendzhik, Tuapse, and Sochi in a “war risk area.” On August 5th, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said, “There are no more safe waters or peaceful harbors for you in the Black and Azov Seas.” warning Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence, emphasized that domestically-produced sea drones have paralyzed Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and are now being mass-produced. He that approximately 30-40% of these drones successfully strike their targets, causing Russian ships to avoid venturing north of Sevastopol due to the risk of drone attacks. noted Nearly two months into Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine sank the – flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, using anti-ship missiles. While a morale boost for Ukraine, it didn’t shift the power dynamics in the Black Sea. That shift would begin as Ukraine introduced maritime drones later on. Moskva Neptune On 17 July 2023, the Crimean Bridge, a prime symbol of Putin’s imperial ambitions in the Black Sea region, in a drone assault. This marks the second such attack on this crucial bridge after Ukraine’s in October 2022, underscoring the challenges Russia faces in protecting the bridge against cheap Ukrainian drones. sustained significant damage first strike Apart from its important symbolism for Putin, the bridge is a vital resupply route for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. The head of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), , highlighted that the drone used in the recent attack against the bridge is called “Sea Baby.” Maliuk proudly emphasized, “These sea drones are a groundbreaking innovation by the Security Service of Ukraine. They’re exclusively ours, with no private entities involved.” Vasyl Maliuk He also explains how these drones were recently deployed to target the Crimean bridge with a massive 850 kilograms of explosives to deliver maximum impact against the bridge’s support pillars. Additionally, the drones were utilized to strike a Russian warship, the , as well as the tanker. Olengorsky Gornyak SIG Ukraine’s Western allies have paid close attention to how Ukraine has been successfully conducting these maritime drone attacks and wants to learn from Ukraine’s experience. Despite that Western interest, Maliuk , “They do not participate in our operations or provide us with any equipment or anything else. These drones are produced at an underground production facility in the territory of Ukraine. The targets I’ve mentioned are legitimate targets according to the Ukrainian and international laws.” stated , an advisor to President Zelenskyy, also commented on the situation, asking, “What is happening in the Black Sea? are changing the rules of the game, returning the waters to full-fledged foreign jurisdiction, and ultimately destroying the value of the Russian fleet. In fact, they are returning everyone to the international law of the sea…” Mykhailo Podoliak #Drones Scrappy tech development that rewrites naval warfare playbook Ukraine’s rapid development of maritime drones, technically termed “uncrewed surface vessels” (USVs), has resulted in vessels replete with state-of-the-art features like integrated explosives and real-time cameras. These subaquatic drones are designed to broadcast riveting visuals straight to their human handlers. The Ukrainian government recently revealed the cost of a maritime drone with an economical of $250,000. For reference, the cost of each S long-range missile is $150,000, and a full launch costs $1,000,000. price tag HIMAR Yet, the drones’ capabilities don’t stop at being cost-effective. These drone marvels can blaze across the ocean at of 80 km/h and boast a remarkable travel range of over 800 km. Enhanced with infrared vision, these drones carry a formidable 350 kilogram warhead (in some cases, up to ) and can sustain operations for a whopping 60 hours. versions, armed with day-night vision cameras and explosive fuses, make for silent yet potent surface water assassins. speeds 850 kilograms Satellite-controlled , a senior engineer from the US think-tank Rand Corp, pointed out the inherent challenge in countering these drones, especially when deployed in swarms. The low profiles of small drones make them elusive targets. Multiply their presence, and the challenge to stop them only grows. Scott Savitz Such rapid advancements haven’t gone unnoticed. The Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, , has pointed out Ukraine’s effective use of technology in the war as a “wake-up call.” Bill LaPlante Former Google CEO is optimistic about Ukraine’s homegrown drone industry. Along with other investors, he has pledged $10 million to D3, a Ukrainian accelerator focusing on drones and related defense tech, as he believes that Ukraine has consistently demonstrated superior innovation against adversaries. Schmidt wrote in the Wall Street Journal that “The future of war will be dictated and waged by drones.” Eric Schmidt Ukraine is on the pathway to becoming a leader in global drone production, according to Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister . Fedorov also pointed out that “we have removed the majority of industry blockers to ease the running of a business. We help Ukrainian UAV manufacturers to receive all kinds of required approvals; we contract their developments and supply them directly to the frontline.” Mykhailo Fedorov Through the “ ” initiative, initially bolstered by President Zelensky’s fundraising drive, Ukraine has electrified its native unmanned weapons industry, also leading to the creation of unmanned maritime drones that continue to wreak havoc on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Army of Drones UNITED24 Ukraine is also making headway with uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV). The newly-revealed is an underwater drone smaller in size compared to previous generations of Ukrainian naval kamikaze drones used against Russian ships in Crimea. It can also remain in mode for up to 3 months. The drone doesn’t go deep but swims near the surface. Toloka TLK-150 standby The innovation behind this drone is being driven by , a key Ukrainian defense tech initiative, and the Toloka is set to be production-ready soon. BRAVE1, established in 2023, streamlines collaboration between the government, military, and private tech firms. This type of public-private partnership represents the scrappy tech development that Ukraine has so successfully employed in the war. This has sped up the process for tech companies to work with the military, wait times from two years to just six weeks. BRAVE1 reducing Ukraine’s scrappiness in tech development also extends to its fundraising efforts. For instance, through United24, the official fundraising platform of the Ukrainian government, the Ukrainian government turned to crowdfunding to help fund the development of more drones. The online community of “NAFO ” pooled together $250,000 to purchase a drone, cheekily dubbing it “Raccoon’s Revenge” – a nod to the raccoon Russian soldiers stole during their retreat from Kherson. Fellas How naval warfare is changing Vice-Admiral , Ukraine’s navy chief, stated that after the war, Ukraine will write a textbook on naval warfare and distribute it to NATO military academies. He remarked that “The warfare of the future is a warfare of drones,” and no other country can match Ukraine’s experience with naval drones. Oleksiy Neizhpapa In August 2023, for the first time in its history, the established a specialized brigade dedicated to . Ukrainian Navy unmanned maritime drones Ukraine’s effectiveness and the scaled use of swift and nimble boats is influencing the landscape of naval warfare. However, using small boats to detonate bombs is not a new strategy. According to the , the United States tried using drone boats as far back as the 1940s. But in October 2000, Al-Qaeda suicide bombers maneuvered explosive-laden boats into the , which resulted in the deaths of 17 American sailors in Yemen’s Aden port. Economist USS Cole Yemen’s Houthi rebels also weaponized what seemed to be uncrewed vessels. In 2017, they successfully a Saudi warship by using a boat filled with explosives, killing two Saudi sailors. attacked Nations like China and Taiwan are undoubtedly monitoring the situation in Ukraine closely. Considering Ukraine’s ability to develop and deploy these drones to traverse the vast expanse of the Black Sea, has already been looking to invest in similar technology to disrupt any maritime aggression from its more powerful neighbor, the People’s Republic of China. Taiwan Cheap naval drones, being cost-effective and efficiently mass-produced, have proven their mettle against Russia, offering a hint of what might be an effective counter-strategy by Taiwan against China’s navy. Ukrainian drones’ cost-effectiveness combined with their stealthy nature — low water-level cruising and reduced noise emissions — makes them a formidable asset. Despite lacking a significant naval fleet, Ukraine’s use of these drones has been instrumental in preventing Russia from dominating the maritime battlespace and achieving naval supremacy in the Black Sea. Also published . here

Ukraine Is Revolutionizing Naval Warfare With the Help of Scrappy Submarines

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The Human Side of Animals: Chapter 9 - Self-defense and Home-Government

The Human Side of Animals by Royal Dixon is part of HackerNoon’s Book Blog Post series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here: [LINK TO TABLE OF LINK] . Chapter III: Animals at play CHAPTER III: ANIMALS AT PLAY "... About them frisking, played All beasts of the earth, since wild, and of all chase In wood or wilderness, forest or den; Sporting the lion romped, and in his paw Dandled the kid; bears, tigers, ounces, pards, Gambled before them; the unwieldy elephant, To make them mirth, used all his might, and wreathed His light proboscis." —Paradise Lost. That "one touch of Nature makes the whole world kin" is shown in no clearer way than by the games and play of animals. Recreation is as common among them as it is among our own children; and they seem always to be artistic and even skilled in their play. Young goats and lambs skip, jump, run races, throw flips in the air, and gambol; calves have interesting frolics; young colts and mules have biting and kicking games; bears wrestle and tumble; puppies delight in biting and tussling; while kittens chase everything from spools of thread to their own tails. But animal children grow up, and stop playing to a certain extent as age advances, precisely as human children do. Each settles down into a more practical condition of life. They dislike to have their games and play disturbed, and if the mother dog growls because her playful son has continuously tumbled over her while she was sleeping, or the cat-mother slaps her kitten because he plays with her tail—it is a display of the same kind of emotion that prompts a human mother to rebuke her child in the nursery for making too much noise, or for throwing toys out of the window. Animals, like ourselves, feel every sensation of joy, happiness, surprise, disappointment, love, hope, ambition, and through their youthful games an entire index of their future lives may be obtained. This play has much to do with the physical and mental development of the animals; and it is strange indeed that so few writers have considered the subject of play in the animal world. Most of those who have noticed the subject at all, drop it with a few remarks, to the effect that it is "highly amusing," or "very funny," or "unbelievable," or "so like the play of children," without even a word of explanation of the whys and wherefores of it. All animals have some kinds of play. Plutarch speaks of a trained elephant that often practised her steps when she thought no one was looking. No one who has ever visited a zoological park and seen the crowded monkey and baboon cages can have failed to note the wonderful play of these animals. Seals seem never to tire of chasing one another through the water; while even the clumsy hippopotamuses have diving games. Kittens begin to tumble and play before they are two weeks old. They will roll and toss a ball, hunting it from the dark corners, lay in silent wait for each other, and suddenly spring upon an unsuspecting fellow-cat-baby's back, just as they will do later in life, when seeking their prey. I have seen them play with a catnip mouse for hours at a time, just as the mother cat plays with a real mouse. Brehm says that this is noticed in their earliest kittenhood, and that the mother cat encourages it in all ways possible, even to becoming a child with her children from love of them, as a human mother does in the nursery with her child. The mother cat begins the play by slowly moving her tail. Gesner considered her tail as the indicator of her moods. The kittens, while they may not understand what this means, are greatly excited by the movement, their eyes sparkle, their ears stand erect, and slowly one after another clutches after the moving tail. Suddenly, one springs over the mother's back, another grabs at her feet, while a third playfully slaps her in the face with his tiny, soft, cushioned paw. She, patiently and mother-like, lovingly submits to all this treatment, as it is only play. DRYPTOSAURUS. THE PREHISTORIC ANIMALS, TOO, UNDOUBTEDLY HAD THEIR PLAY TIME, WITH GAMES AND "SETTING UP" EXERCISES. American Museum of Natural History, New York A HAPPY FAMILY OF POLAR BEARS. THE YOUNG CUBS WRESTLE AND TUMBLE, AS PLAYFULLY AS TWO PUPPIES. THIS PLAY HAS MUCH TO DO WITH THEIR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEVELOPMENT. Many scientists have claimed that this so-called instinct should not be classed as real play. However, such an authority as Darwin thought it was play, and Scheitlin said that the cat let the mouse loose many times in order that she might have the experience of catching it each time. No mercy is shown the helpless mouse, which is the same to her as the toy ball—in the same way as a real beetle and a toy beetle are the same to a small child. Evidently the cat does not play with the mouse for the delight in torturing it, but purely for practice that she may become skilled in the art of catching it. The cat also exercises in springing movements, and by studying the mouse's probable movements, learns to acquire a knowledge and skill in mouse-ways otherwise impossible. The same cruel practice is found among leopards, panthers, and wild cats. Brehm verifies the observation that many members of the cat family practise torturing their victims in a horrible manner, pretending to liberate them, until the poor creatures at last die from their wounds. Lenz tells of a marten that would play with its prey for hours when not hungry. Especially was this true when marmots chanced to be his victims, and around these he would leap and spring, dealing them terrific blows first with one paw and then with the other. When hungry, however, he proceeded differently, devouring them at once from teeth to tail. All the cat family, it seems, are fond of human companionship, and take almost as much delight in playing with human beings as with their own kind. This is especially true of the puma. Brehm tells of a tame one that delighted in hiding at the approach of his master and springing out unexpectedly, just as the lion does. Hudson claimed that the puma, with the exception of the monkey, was possibly the most playful of all animals. Travellers tell many interesting tales of the play of these animals, especially on the Pampas of South America. Gross relates the experience of an Englishman who was compelled to spend the night outdoors on the Pampas of the La Plata. At about nine o'clock, on a bright moonlight night, he saw four pumas coming toward him, two adult animals and two young ones. He well knew that these animals would not attack him, so he quietly waited. In a short time they approached him, chasing one another and playing hide-and-seek like little kittens; and finally leaped directly over the man several times. The mother cat would run ahead, calling to the little ones to follow her. But she never disturbed him. At times an animal at play with another uses the same tactics and methods employed on its prey. Of course, the value of such practice for the tasks of later-life is evident. Dogs play hide-and-seek, tag, and various chasing games for hours without resting. Among the negroes of the South it is not uncommon to see a hound playing hide-and-seek with the little pickaninnies. I have seen a hound peeping in and out among a pile of brush to discover where the little ones were hiding, and at the first sight of a little black face, he would lay low in anticipation of a playful spring, or a sudden dash-away, with the expectation of being chased by his friends. At times he would suddenly disappear toward his home, and slyly slip around and approach the playground from an opposite direction. Every one who has owned fox terriers knows how they will crouch in the open grass and remain motionless, with quivering expectation for the other playfellow to arrive, and when the one in ambush sees the other coming he springs toward him, as though he were going to destroy him! And when the two come together, they attempt to seize each other by the necks, as they would do in a real conflict. A wrestle and tussle ensues and when utterly exhausted from this play, the tired dogs, like two fatigued children, run to their homes. Dogs are fond of playing ball, and will readily bring a ball or stick to their master when he has thrown it. They will also go into the water to bring out sticks that may have been tossed in for amusement. Eugene Zimmerman had a young fox terrier that would set a ball in motion, when there was no one to pitch it for him, by seizing it in his mouth and tossing it up in the air. Monkeys and jaguars will also play ball, and tame bears take great delight in wrestling, playing ball, and fighting mock battles. American Museum of Natural History, New York THE MOTHER OPOSSUM IS NEVER HAPPIER THAN WHEN SHE HAS HER LITTLE ONES PLAYING HIDE-AND-SEEK OVER HER BACK. THIS YOUNG FOX CAME FROM HIS HOME IN THE WOODS DAILY TO PLAY WITH A YOUNG FOX-TERRIER. HE IS NOW RESTING AFTER A ROMP. Beckmann wonderfully describes the play of a badger, whose only playmate was an exceptionally clever dog, who from his earliest youth had been taught to live with different kinds of animals. "Together they went through a series of gymnastic exercises on pleasant afternoons, and their four-footed friends came from far and near to witness the performance. The essentials of the game were that the badger, roaring and shaking his head like a wild boar, should charge upon the dog, as it stood about fifteen paces off, and strike him in the side with its head; the dog, leaping dexterously entirely over the badger, awaited a second and third attack, and then made his antagonist chase him all round the garden. If the badger managed to snap the dog's hindquarters, an angry tussle ensued, but never resulted in a real fight. If Caspar, the badger, lost his temper, he drew off without turning round, and got up snorting and shaking and with bristling hair, and strutted about like an inflated turkey-cock. After a few moments his hair would smooth down, and with some head-shaking and good-natured grunts the mad play would begin again." Young animals are strikingly like children in their craving for amusement. A young bear will lie on his back and play with his feet and toes by the hour, while a young pup can have a great game with only a dry bone, or by chasing his shadow on the wall. Rabbits come out in evenings on the sand-hills to play hide-and-seek with their young, and squirrels never weary of this universally popular game. I know of a young fox that used to come from a nearby woods every evening to play with a young fox-terrier. They became great friends and were often seen in the woods together. A friend who owns a ranch in Texas once raised two young wolves that romped and played with the neighbour's dogs just as if they were dogs themselves. There are other animals, like the weasels, that will also play with strange friends. But they prefer their own kind as playmates. They take the greatest delight in playing with their parents, and nothing is more beautiful or strange than to see several of them playing in a valley on a sunny day. Out pops one little head, with twinkling eyes glancing from side to side, and then as if from nowhere, the little brothers and sisters begin to appear, chasing each other as though they were playing tag. These exercises give them much agility which they will need in later life. I once owned a tame raccoon, and often kept him chained in the back yard. When he could not find a young chicken or duck to torment, he devised all kinds of schemes to relieve the monotonous hours. He would pile up a number of small stones, and carefully await his chance to fling one into a group of young chickens. He seemed to understand that he was more apt to make a hit when he threw into a crowd than when aiming at a single chick. At other times he would lie on his back, madly waving his tail as though he were signalling for some one to come near. If we chanced to pass by without speaking, he would growl or whine in some way to attract attention. After hours of self-amusement he would lie down as if life were useless, and wait until something or somebody came along to amuse him. His greatest delight was in fishing things out of a pan of water, and he would wash every pebble or plaything that he owned and carefully lay it out to dry. One day he pounced upon a rooster who insulted him by drinking from his water vessel, and plucked a long feather from his tail so quickly that we could hardly realise what had taken place. He then had great fun in attempting to stick the feather in his head or by planting it upright in the ground. Another day, in winter, he broke his chain and made straight for the kitchen, where he found a snug warm place in old Aunt Moriah's kitchen oven. The old negress came to cook dinner and when the raccoon suddenly sprang out of her oven, she vowed, "I'se nevah gwine to cook in dis heah kitchen again; dis place is hoodooed fo' life!" Once we gave him a pail of hot milk, and it was evidently hotter than we realised; he started to drink it, and suddenly stopped, and in anger grabbed at a very young puppy that was following us, and before we could stop him, dipped the puppy's head into the hot milk. Fortunately, however, the milk was not hot enough to injure the puppy. But the raccoon had taken his revenge out on the little animal, and was evidently satisfied. It is interesting to note that all animals seem to play games and take exercises that will be especially helpful to them in later life. Badgers, for example, delight in turning somersaults; deer like to jump and leap; foxes and raccoons practise stealing upon one unnoticed; tapirs and crocodiles play in the water as night approaches; mountain goats, sheep, horses and mules run, leap, jump, and play follow-leader. Animals that live in the high mountains practise all kinds of high-jumps, which would be unnecessary if they lived on level ground, but are highly essential in mountainous countries. Brehm claims that in summer the chamois climb up to the everlasting snow and take much delight in playing in it. They will drop into a crouching position on the top of a very steep mountain, work their four legs with a swimming motion, and slide down on the surface of the snow for a hundred and fifty metres. As they slide down the snow flies over them like a fine powder. As soon as they reach the bottom, they jump to their feet, and slowly climb up the mountain-side again, while many of their comrades silently stand by and watch their coasting approvingly, first one and then another joining in the sport, like human coasters would do. It is not uncommon for a number of them to tumble together at the bottom, like romping children. This coasting is very remarkable, and through skill in it, no doubt, the lives of many chamois are saved from frightful accidents later in life. Alix tells us that dogs of mountainous countries are also often skilled in the art of coasting. Our tame fawn used to delight in playing with our old rabbit-dog, Nimrod. They were the best of friends, and the fawn would begin the chase by approaching Nimrod as though he were going to stamp him into the earth, and then suddenly leaping quickly and safely over the dog, he would run away. At this signal for a game, if Nimrod was in the mood, he chased the fawn, who would delight in jumping over fences and hedges and waiting for poor Nimrod to get over or under just in time to see his playmate leap to the other side. Wolves, if taken when quite young, have a most unique way of showing their affection at the appearance of their master. They will spring into the air, tumbling over, with whinnying cries of delight, falling to the ground they pretend to bite and snap at everything, until their friend finally comes very near them. Prairie dogs are fond of all kinds of races and jumping games; they will each appear at the entrance to their underground homes, and will play a simple form of prisoners'-base for long periods of time. With defiant calls at each other, one finally approaches the home of the other, which is a signal for the third to attempt to slip into the entrance to the second one's home before he can return. Many join in the game and it usually ends in a regular roll-and-tumble for their respective homes. Perhaps the strangest of all forms of play is that in which young duckbills indulge. They are slightly like puppies in their methods of roll-and-tumble, but the way in which they grab one another with their strange bills, as they strike with their fore-paws is quite original. They seem to have an unusually good disposition, and if one little playfellow falls in the game, and desires to scratch himself before arising, the other patiently waits until he arises, when the mock battle begins anew. Antelopes have chase and marching games which are beautiful. They seem rapidly to follow an invisible leader over the plains, suddenly forming themselves into pairs, fours, eights, sixteens, until the entire herd thus form one line, like an army of soldiers marching. While this game is progressing, certain of their number stand as sentinels and spectators, and the slightest approach of an enemy is the signal for all play to cease, and for them to disappear over the plains. When we witness these abundant evidences of the need and prevalence of recreation in the animal world, we are confronted with one more argument for the existence of real mental and moral faculties among our four-footed friends. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Dixon, Royal, 2006. The Human Side of Animals. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved May 2022 from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19850/19850-h/19850-h.htm#Page_32 This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org, located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html.

The Human Side of Animals: Chapter 3 - Animals at play

I gradually woke to the warmth of Harry licking my lips, just frantically enough so I knew he needed to pee. It was three in the morning, cold and quiet. I hooked the leash to his collar and  we headed out into the night. I'd been unemployed since July and this was October. I'd been in online direct marketing for six years, becoming Creative Director, and in theory, I could go back to something like that. We sold 'cosmeceuticals' like wrinkle reducers and scent-based weight loss powder and did surprisingly well through rigorous A/B testing and a deep understanding of human laziness. It was a risk-free trial ...as long as you return your shipment in 30 days. The price to land each customer sometimes approached the cost of the product, but as long as 30 or 40 percent forgot to cancel their continuity, we'd bank a solid profit. --Oh, you didn't know it was a continuity program? Should have read the fine print, sucker. The difference between financial success and abject failure was around 1.5 shipments per customer. It was honest work, as long as your bar for honesty was just above wire fraud. We'd optimized the process into a ruthlessly profitable juggernaut, but who wants to wake up every morning to make the world just a little bit worse than the day before? Could wake up each day knowing the world would be better off if you didn't wake up? As fun as it sometimes was, and my bosses knew how to throw a decadent party, I got tired of shilling for the dark side and finally had to quit. you I could go back to school thanks to stock options money. But for what? I researched school psychology and genetic counselling, I could become a nurse practitioner or maybe a physician’s assistant. But then I talked to a friend who's a PA and she likes nothing more than assisting surgeries all day long, the bloodier the better. She bragged about holding a beating human heart in her hand like some Aztec priest. Nothing felt right, time was running out, and I could only tread water for so long before I'd have to go back to selling perfumes that could make you look ten years younger based on actual scientific data. I couldn't claim unemployment since I'd quit. But an actress friend told me a trade secret. Every show is its own job. As long as you have a decent income history, you can work once as an extra then qualify for unemployment after the shoot. That might buy me enough time to find my path. So I signed with Central Casting, a company that provides background workers to shows across the LA area. Unfortunately, so many people are either hoping for their big break or else can't stomach manual labor that call lines tend to max out the second a job is posted. It took a lot of patience and effort, but eventually, I landed the role of 'wealthy patron' at a late-night tiki bar, in the background of , starring Zoey Deschanel. The timing was perfect because the very next day I'd arranged to shadow a clinician in South Pasadena. After flipping through a dozen possible careers, I'd landed on Speech-Language Pathology. It was science-based, could be achieved after a few years of college, and best of all I could wake up every morning with the knowledge I was actually going to help people improve their lives. I'd already ordered a set of cranio-facial flashcards and begun memorizing the bones of the skull. The New Girl First, of course, I needed that bi-monthly unemployment check, so two days later I pulled into the Fox parking garage in my finest bar crawl gear with my only good suit in a garment bag. stage was a massive warehouse with its interior partitioned off into sets. There were maybe 30 extras slouching on folding chairs or rolls of carpet in an area walled off on the left and right by the sort of painted flats seen through the window of a situation comedy. Varying levels of hope and desperation were on display, from empty nest housewives to absurdly attractive 20-somethings trying to make a few bucks between auditions. But there was a sad, resigned quality to it all, as if we were just waiting for a flight to some industrial town for a contractually obligated visit. The New Girl Keep in mind these people get minimum wage, they arrive early, stay late, are often asked to bring specific items like dry-cleaned suits or musical instruments to the set, and the majority of their day is spent sitting in a cold dim warehouse in group isolation. Most importantly, there is absolutely zero chance this experience will result in any sort of acting career. You'd be better off driving around town with 'Cast Me!' spray-painted on the side of your van, which Dennis Woodruff did years ago to limited success. Background work is menial labor wrapped in the mind-numbing boredom of a waiting room, loosely held together by the thinnest tissue of show-biz. It's purgatory with a paycheck. And so we waited, for what felt like a full working day, as I memorized terms like 'Anterior nasal spine' and 'Zygomaticofacial formen'. Hours later, a background wrangler brought us onto the brightly lit set of a tiki bar, to be arranged in clumps of two to four. Our job was to hold elaborate tropical drinks, not look at the cameras, and pretend to have interesting conversations while the actors spoke their lines. They placed me in a far corner facing an oddly placid woman, and I smiled at her pantomimed repartee as the show's male star mused with his friends about the emotional repercussions of an upcoming pub crawl. The cast and crew and even the extras were patient and professional, and I couldn't help wondering what it would be like to wake up every morning to work insanely long hours creating mildly interesting commercial delivery mechanisms that people watched while eating their dinners on the couch. Would that be enough to live your life without regrets? The setups moved at a glacial pace, and after an hour even my fake conversation began to run dry. Eventually, I fell back on the usual nervous tics --nodding, grinning sheepishly, taking long slow sips of my drink --at which point I remembered they didn't make me a drink. They'd poured tap water into a tiki mug without washing it out. Suddenly I had a mouthful of drywall runoff and spackle. My partner reacted to the panic in my face as I realized you can't spit up brown sludge in front of the cameras; they'd fire me in an instant and I'd never get unemployment. The lady touched my shoulder with concern as I tried desperately not to projectile vomit across her teal party dress, before finally choking down the gack with a grimace. Hours later, wandering the deserted lot during our nighttime lunch break, I realized there was no way the coffee I'd been pounding could power me through the next 10 hours of the shoot. This is why, to maintain energy and focus, I swallowed a couple of psychedelic mushrooms. They were medicinal, brought as a metabolism booster in case of emergency, and I quickly forgot I'd even taken them. Until about an hour later during the climactic scene at the tiki bar. We're standing silently, inches away from each other in our club crawl finery, trying not to meet each other's eyes as camera people tinker with something at the bar. A dapper Filipino guy in a bow tie mocks me for eating the fruit décor of my tiki drink --which, to be fair, we'd been explicitly and repeatedly asked not to do by the support staff. And in that instant of self-awareness, some combination of caffeine, hunger, and psilocybin combines to wake me to our reality like a slap in the face. You should remember, 'hallucinogen' is a misnomer. You don't see things that aren't there, you see things that were there the whole time that you've trained yourself not to see. Anything beyond a microdose and preconceptions fall away, all that pigeonholing of reality into conceptual chunks like inartfully translated poetry. Things like psilocybin let you bypass the cognitive shorthand you've learned since birth in order to deal with this nonsensical cathedral of human culture we've trapped ourselves in. I'm looking around wide-eyed and innocent. Somehow, needing to change careers has resulted in me standing here with thirty strangers in the night, packed shoulder to shoulder in a high-walled pen, solemnly ignoring each other's blank yearning faces while lights and cameras glare down from the fake walls of a fake bar decorated in a fake vision of Polynesian culture. We're being paid a small amount of money to pretend to be human beings —and isn't that just a metaphor for what being a human being is?! I take a drink from my mug and thank god this time its pineapple juice. Then someone yells 'background!', and time lurches into motion. There's me, that smartass with the bow tie, a proud grandmother of four and a brunette woman in an evening dress who's giving off 'swinging divorcee' vibes. But as I give in to the motions of pretending to relate to them, silently smiling and laughing, the anxiety melts away. One by one I look deep into their eyes and see through to the core of each person's soul. The shot involves what I think is a famous Wayans brother, playing a disgruntled pickup artist on Valentine’s Day. He tries to liven the scene with a few ad libs, which noticeably improves the dialog. Later, as we head back to the waiting area, an efficient-looking man in a Bluetooth headset taps me on the shoulder, shaking his head, wagging a finger. "We see what you're doing there guy." I'm pretty sure he was referring to the moment in the final shot when our grandmother silently told a joke and the irony of actually laughing at a pretend joke created a humor feedback loop that gave me stomach cramps as I tried so desperately not to laugh out loud that I almost fainted. He thinks I was showboating for attention, so I nod to reassure him it won't happen again, and we head to the portable dressing rooms to suit up. For the last half of the day, we'll be diners at a fancy restaurant. I walk out in my best wedding outfit and the wardrobe lady with a straight face tells me she likes my weird, quirky look. Before long we're gathered around picnic tables on the lawn near the stages and I'm watching James, the smartass with the bowtie, teach a regular from Sons of Anarchy how to tie a Windsor knot. It turns out James came from the Philippines six years ago to work in LA as a nurse. But he's already burned out from the hospital politics and the gruelling hours and thankless doctors. He's in the middle of a career transition himself, probably real estate. It's after midnight now, moonlight glinting on the rustling Magnolia branches in the silence of the empty lot, and it's clear that is some kind of modern-day bardo, the Buddhist realm between death and rebirth. Forty well-dressed souls in limbo, lit by the midnight moon, transitioning between lives or else waiting for this one to end. Our conversation drifts into philosophy and James tells me about the new age guru Eckhart Tolle with such eloquence that I order his book from Amazon then and there. The New Girl Soon the wranglers pair us off into male-female dyads. I take the elbow of a beautiful blonde in a black evening dress and we stroll down the sidewalk toward a building in the distance, not knowing each other or where exactly we're headed. Everything is a metaphor now. Her name is Susan and she just arrived from six months in Korea with her husband. We find ourselves in an immense dining room, sitting across from each other at a beautiful meal we're not allowed to eat (more metaphor!), while Zoey Deschanel and some handsome Euro-accented fellow with a well-trimmed beard film their dinner scene. We're far enough away to have a real conversation and I grill Susan about her life in Korea. She and her husband taught, explored the world, and are ready for the next stage of their lives. To take that leap into darkness confident the universe will catch you —I'm in awe. I get so engrossed in the conversation that for a good half hour I forget we're on a set. Eventually, the director decides we're distracting and removes our table, then around 4:30 in the morning, the pack of us are brought outside to slowly walk back and forth outside the window of the dining room to appear as blurry shapes behind Zoe's conversation. It's the last stage before rebirth, just flickering shadows at the edge of someone else's consciousness, and I'm so jazzed to begin my new life that I'm not even tired anymore. The day ends near 5 am, and a few cups of coffee later I'm heading up the 110 Freeway to begin learning what it means to be a Speech-Language Pathologist. Elisa was a wise and friendly professional who took me back through the elementary school where she worked to her office. And in half an hour I realize no way am I going to be a Speech-Language Pathologist. It's not that I don't like children. They're fine. I understand they're necessary. I just didn't fully comprehend how they'd dictate the entire workday. Elisa had an encyclopedic knowledge of how the physicality of the skull works to create sound, but she utilized that expertise eight hours a day playing speech games with seven-year-olds while taking notes about how they pronounce words like 'the.' My guess is, if you have strong parenting instincts this sort of thing isn't excruciating. But when I left that afternoon full of effusive thanks for her patience and generosity, Elisa could tell she would not be seeing me at any SLP conferences in the distant future. I was back in the bardo with no prospect for rebirth. But then, out of the blue, a call comes through from the human resources manager I used to work with. She wants to know if I'm interested in a hot new social media startup in Downtown LA. All she'll say is their name -- . Vixlet The next day an elevator rockets me silently to the Gas Company building's 50th floor. The view out the windows looks like you're landing at LAX. The company is owned by a husband and wife team and she walks into the conference room with a small entourage, lead by a new media guy named Justin who looks exactly like the person who'd play him in a commercial. Seek, coiffed, black glasses signifying intelligence. He scans me head to toe: Camper shoes, Ben Sherman shirt and jacket, Warby Parker glasses. I sense the tiniest acknowledgement, as if I've passed the minimum bar for acceptability. Everyone other than the boss looks like they've just graduated from one of those East Coast colleges you only know about if you're rich. We sit at an empty table and he gives me the spiel. Vixlet is a revolutionary new form of social media. They've got millions in the bank, and they literally want to take on Facebook. I keep waiting to show my work, but no one asks. They don't want me for design or user experience. They're starting a new Product Department that will somehow connect design and development, or give them direction, or something. I try to get more detail, but they're intentionally vague. After deflecting a few questions, a hyper-literate 20 year old tells me people succeed at this company if they’re able to adapt to a constantly changing environment. I get the hint and stop asking, even though I have no idea what skillset they're looking for. Eventually, they march out in unison like the East German swim team, and the head of the company makes an entrance, a hefty subcontinental Indian man with a magnetic personality and the voice of James Earl Jones. I stand as he takes my hand, doesn't let go, and looks deep into my eyes through to the very core of my soul. His name is Krishna. "You tell me, Randy," he says after a brief introduction, "when did social media begin?" It's clearly a rhetorical question, but he still wants an answer. "I don't know... Friendster?" "No. Randy." Still holding my hand. "More basic than that. Thousands of years before that, in fact, when that first human hand grabbed a bone and struck that first drum. That's social media. Communication!" It's clearly a prepared speech but he's good at it. Krishna fast forwards through the evolution of human interaction to this new, completely unprecedented developmental stage in the process that he alone has discovered --passion-based social media. Science tells us that the average American has over 50 passions; that's what'll connect us in the future, not the rough simulation of real world 'friendship' that Facebook offers. He talks about the insane growth hacking they're ready to begin, beating Facebook before they even know what happened. To be clear, I worked in online direct marketing so I know when someone's blowing smoke up my ass. But this was the first time I actually liked it. Somehow that recommendation from the head of human resources short-circuited the process. No one had ever hired me without looking at my work. --And who's to say they wouldn't change the world? I was employed by the company that made MySpace and they went from a few people in a row of cubicles down the hall to a $580 million dollar payout in just a few years on the backs of obsessive preteens without any design sense. Krishna asks me how much I'd need in order to walk to work skipping and singing every morning, and I tell him my previous salary. He stares into my eyes for a long while. “Randy. I believe we have a disconnect.” Eventually, Krishna hires me for thirty thousand less, with vague promises of stock options, but it doesn't matter because he's given me hope for the future. I'd emerged from darkness into a new career. It's not until a week later when I hear someone talking about me that I realize my title: Product Manager... Three years after that we're called to an 11 am meeting. I get a text from my friend Steve letting me know they'd deposited our paychecks early. "Looks like the new round of funding finally came through!" But the moment Krishna walks into the room I can tell it's over. He's genuinely heartbroken and seems ready to cry. "Take all the time you need." He bites his lower lip, either holding back tears or giving a very believable performance. "But make sure you turn in your laptops, as we no longer own them." I'd been a Product Manager for three years at that point and (arguably) been good at it for maybe a year and a half. After just a few months the head of the department left for Google when he realized the relentlessly hapless shitshow he'd signed up for, the new head of the department was fired for harassing the designers, one PM left for a better job and another moved to a different position in the company. I was the last PM standing. I had not in any way made the world a better place to live, but had almost certainly made it less bad than I would have, promising women they could look ten years younger through regular applications of cetacean placenta juice. Despite what they'd paid McKinsey a small fortune to tell us, we had a fundamentally flawed business model. Turns out virality is not a top-down phenomenon. At the end of the day, Vixlet was the startup equivalent of a secondhand Volkswagen piloted by a pack of bickering raccoons from on top of a mountain of investor cash. At first, it felt like we had a direction, but we were just careening downhill, finally slamming after a few short years into the desert hardpan below. It only cost me one minor heart attack (that turned out to be a panic attack), and constant low-level frustration and dismay, but after three years I'd developed a very particular set of skills that perhaps now I could put to good use.

How I Went from the Set of New Girl to a Startup Product Manager

Fresh off a victory against the Cat Cartel, these Canines are ready to pounce on the blockchain. Now, are you in? The Cartel doesn't take too lightly to people who are out... In the NFT world, animals have always ruled supreme. Whether it be Bored Apes, Cool Cats, Raccoons, or Sewer Rats, NFT pfp art notably rules the community. In such a crowded space, it’s vital for new incoming projects to consistently one-up and better one another in order to achieve a notable space in the community. is a new breed of ERC-721 tokens ready to take over the Blockchain. Minting at 0.05ETH, these canines are being released on the at 2PM EDT. The Canine Cartel 24th August 2021 The Canine Cartel does away with cutesy fluff, leave your Stoner Cats, Pudgy Penguins, and Punkbabies at home - this is an NFT project for the big dogs. The Canine Cartel was born in a fierce fight between the cats and the dogs of Sinaloa, Mexico. The cats were known for ruling everything with an iron paw. A hound couldn’t sell a spliff to a rat without being scratched and slashed by a crazy feline. Everything changed when a mean motherfucker by the name El Doge came along. El Doge was the leader the band of mutts needed to take back control of the streets. Pack by pack, he rallied the Dobermans, the Huskies, the Pitbulls and the rest of ‘em. Now, there are 10,000 unique canines ready to live and die for the cartel. Not your standard 10,000 degen project, the Cartel offers a unique service where to prove your loyalty, your canine can visit the official tattoo parlour. This will burn the NFT and a new Canine with a Cartel tattoo will be returned to you. Why not get a matching one? Looking at their , you can see that they’re one of only a few communities that have charitable donations guaranteed from the offset and clearly visible for the community to see. At just 10% of the sale, the cartel will donate 10ETH to dog shelters in a cartel decided-upon location. Beyond that, a cartel wallet will be set up where members can vote on what to do with the funds. roadmap The Cartel is rumbling with activity and is planning a fiesta for its members, when it’s safe to do so, everyone in the cartel will be welcome to a wild rager to celebrate victory against the cat cartel. Until then, everyone hangs out in the , otherwise known as their Discord server. Cigar Lounge There’s also The Pound. Though you might find that mutts don’t like to talk about The Pound, what goes on at The Pound, stays at the pound. If something needs settling, take it to The Pound. The rules of The Pound are simple; Do not talk about The Pound. Owning a Canine makes you part of the cartel. But, be warned, they’re a ride-or-die crew. Getting in is simple, getting out won’t be good for your health. If you wanted a standard NFT collectible project, you’ve come to the wrong place loco cabrón.

The Canine Cartel: How Much Is That Tattooed Dog NFT In The Window?

The following are various emails, posts, messages, and tweets I've had on social media and privately (my side, only paraphrasing their side without permission) in the last 24 hours. They mark my mood throughout the day, and catalog the awakening I will be (and make no mistake - horribly) subjecting myself to. The liberation. The realization. Before the hospital, I sent different emails to my psychiatric nurse - note that this is all, indeed, drug-seeking: Hi, I'm trying to communicate with Dr. B today. I've left two voicemails. Points of concern: I need a new script for a Ketoderm thing some Dr at the hospital gave me once for my rash thing Need new scripts for all 3 of my orals 7 days early... I already got my meds 5 days early last month and they said ' ' which traditionally means about 18 months but all my scripts (except Seroquel which doesn't get you high) and three packs of darts were stolen from me 3 weeks ago and I could really use some medication by now never again The only real action item for you: I was wondering if you have Dr. V's note on file with her recommended dose of Wellbutrin? We still never got up to that dose. mom tells me 'I don't even know whether Dr. B is in the office'. So look, let's try to get Dr. N to write these scripts, to be filled today. Seroquel Wellbutrin (hopefully at the increased dose) Zopiclone Ketoderm Dr. B's just called, they are indeed in and he'll be calling me after 3:30. All's good in the hood. It still would be helpful if you had Dr. V's note for me to reference, though, back to my original point. 1 hour later: I'm going to the hospital While on way to hospital: I got my card and my money and I don't understand why any of that is necessary. Going to the spot that kills people with infection,  killed my grandfather, and nearly killed me, more than once. Now I wait and they won't even help Psych nurse wrote back something that included 'If he calls you then you can leave the ER.' At this point, I am no longer drug-seeking. I'm at the hospital. I want 'help.' I want to be seen. I want to be acknowledged and given a bed and treatment. I want some kind of an ultimate treatment that will fix me, and I don't know how to put in words what I want to ask for. I know I won't get it. I email back a series of 4 emails, boom boom boom: Don't want to leave without getting well I'm not unwell enough to be treated Some of them are looking at me like they've been dominated by king sasquatch ants. and nurse's outfits are far too revealing Next up, 'the available treatment right now.' Remember, I'm no longer drug-seeking, and I just want to get some help. I've been in tears most of the day. I've been threatening random medical people to tear people limb from limb and I'd just like 'something to calm me down.' Can't appear drug-seeking if you want drugs, right? Still no drugs. Still no treatment. At the hospital: I'm going to lose my shit. She said 'do ya want the meds or not' I said 'bro how many people do I have to kill before I get treatment.' she says 'the treatment options available right now are meds. Do you want meds?' I said 'I called my Dr. and emailed my nurse to get meds to get high so I guess just give me the meds then.' They brought me clonazepam. I was addicted to those - quit cold turkey, years ago, under supervision. It's harder to come off benzos than heroin. That's science. It's in my file. My file is 4 or 5 three-ring binders. This ain't my first rodeo. Next email to my psych nurse: Listen, it's been 3 weeks since I've been taking meds. I abuse my meds and I think they shouldn't give them to me. I told this to the worker at the hospital and she basically said that those are my only option available. So I guess, I should take those meds and go home The plan at this point was to give in to their recommendations, go home, and . abuse my meds with a fucking vengeance A part of me wanted to see that worker fired. She could hurt other people like me, I thought. I just want to get treated. A part of me thought that it was evil wishing bad for others. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get someone fired so that I can get treatment Nah nvm, just called a cab to go home. I go to a friend's place. She gave me 4 lorazepams. I calmed down. The evening progressed and a random person she knew bumped into us while we were in the street. stealing wifi We got talking. He says he's got a pile of oxies (oxycontin) and crack (cocaine) for us. If I wasn't high on her benzos, I would have gone. I was refused my desired treatment by the medical system. I was asked to continue consuming medications (and abuse them) just to keep the status quo, to keep ' ' as mom puts it with venom. bouncing off the walls like a zombie I went home. I had a great chat with the neighbors. We fed some raccoons. I might have just evaded death by overdose. But I'm not concerned. I'm high. I discussed about it with my sister, who'd just quit the health authority to set up her own clinic. Me: Nobody in their right mind will do what I need to do: I need to be permanently chemically sedated on benzos (again). Her: Unfortunately, public opinion has turned against them and they're only ever prescribed temporarily now. They will not chemically sedate you. Me: So fuck all of their shit. They refuse to help when I cry, beg, and threaten. Next email to nurse: Scratch that. I'm sorry sis. You're lovely and, 'You've been an ally in this struggle.' If the system wants to medicate me with same meds that I keep on abusing for fun, risking dying of overdosing every month, ... I'm not doing it anymore. I consumed 4 lorazepams today and I think that saved lives. It prevented me from going to do oxycontin and crack with a stranger - because the benzos already had me high. But, I'm never ever getting benzos again. I'm also not doing Invega. I will not go to get those meds from Dr. N. I'm quitting cold turkey and I need to be supervised. Fuck all that noise. My nurse is nearly retired. I write to her (again, boom boom): We can do facebook or email or whatever friends when you're done with the system too. I'll accept treatment again only when they have a cure. I'm doing it home alone with no supervision. Are there med protocols for self when I have a panic-attack and god knows what'll happen if I get catatonic? I think, when I'm through with this, I might not even want a cure. I write to my Chief-of-Surgery uncle who I'm close to. Twice Hey, No word to mom or P yet. T knows. After a hospital visit today and after abusing my meds, again,  I've realized that the only way out is to be permanently chemically sedated.No Dr. will do that. Until then, I'm refusing all further treatment. But, I need help doing that safely, so I need treatment 1 last time to come off the meds I'm on. Please, do, tell me what my rights are here and what the protocols are. Don't tell me it's a bad idea (as personal or medical advice), my mind's made up and I'm through. I told her, by then, I won't want the cure. I also told her she's a gem and a true friend of mine. That's it. This is the course we're going to go with now. Do they have med protocols for when terror/panic attacks get really bad? I don't want benzos. I want to be catatonic if I can't function. Am I allowed to demand that I'm able to smoke whenever I want to? I'm no danger to anyone, I proved that much today. I'm not unwell enough to be treated. I demand I be taken off all treatments. I won't leave hospital grounds and I won't even talk to anyone because I'm physically and emotionally incapable of it anyways. This is my right. I'm advocating. At what point do they take my legal control of myself away from me? 'threat to self or others?' I need medical advice before I go down this route getting medical treatment for a course of action nobody will agree with about how to not get fucked over by my own intentions of leaving this all far behind. That's messed up. I've told my nurse I'll accept treatment when there's a cure. Email #2 to my uncle: The only one reason I'm doing this under supervision is to distance those I care about from it. It will be torture. I will be out of my mind with terror and panic and I'm not even me anymore and I'm losing track of humanity and they'll be like 'oh Jare this big ol fancy Pharma stick will put everything back the way it should be.' I put myself through torture for people I love all the time. These last 13 whatever 14 years of ignorance and sedation were only so nobody would have to deal with me. Including me. I personally think if I'm reintroduced to me I might still like the me I buried. The me I loved so dearly. The ability, the socializing, the future. Loving myself again and getting rid of each and every dopamine inhibitor is a sure fire way to quit narcotics. I'll spare you more crazy emails til my psych nurse responds tomorrow. I write to the  psych nurse: Please don't try to bend my arm on this. I require treatment and care because I am actively refusing further treatment. The decision's been made and is immutable. Crypto fans here will understand -  'immutable.' My tweets are examples of my realizations tonight before hearing back about the plan of action: My knee-jerk reaction to something the old me found offensive on Facebook proves that these old habits will indeed die hard. And then, from the depths of the internet - where I used 0 hashtags and wanted a public record to help others in the future going through like transformations - reaches out Utsav, a Hackernoon Editor. Watch the love: So now, this first episode - where I'm still free, yet trapped in the prison of pharma and street drugs, is on Hackernoon. For more, follow the #hackersawakening tag or follow my Twitter. I may not be well for some of my posts - some of them may make little to no sense. I assure you, it's a transformation. https://twitter.com/jarettdunn In future episodes, I will no longer be free. I will be dancing a thin line between a voluntary patient and being involuntary. I will be doing it as a sacrifice to save my family the pain and trauma. I will have limited access to technology. The ultimate treatment is self-acceptance. Of the whole. The yin and the yang, quantum 1 and 0 and 1 and 0 and neither. Mom just woke up. I made her a coffee and told her that 'I have received love and support from all over the world.'

A Hacker's Awakening: Ep.01 - Being Free While Feeling Caged and Yearning for a Victory

By Parul Singh , Principal is a marketing automation platform that lets ecommerce companies use their own data to power more personalized marketing. Sound a little boring? That’s not necessarily a . Klaviyo solves a very important, if not super glamorous, problem: helping growing companies grow even faster by making their marketing relevant. Klaviyo bad thing Klaviyo helps ecommerce merchants optimize campaigns. Photo: Klaviyo The Boston-based startup has 80 employees today and is growing quickly. Back in 2016, Klaviyo raised a series A with the intention of using the capital to accelerate growth. Sure enough, they’ve tripled the business last year — but co-founders and never ended up needing to use the capital they raised, until it came time to put a down payment on their new 25,000 square foot office space in downtown Boston. Ed Hallen Andrew Bialecki So what’s the secret? Klaviyo is a perfect example of efficient entrepreneurship — the fact that the company has sustained aggressive growth rates without relying on venture capital makes them an interesting case study. How did they do it? What You Do Is Important — How You Do It Matters Even More So how do you build a high growth company without relying on venture capital? Make sure you build something people will pay you for. Ed Hallen and his co-founder Andrew Bialecki spent their first nine months experimenting with ideas about how to make email better. They quickly honed in on an opportunity: it was possible to make email more meaningful to the end user — if you used data about that end user to make the message more relevant. F500 companies were already marketing this way. But that kind of data-driven marketing wasn’t accessible to growth companies, because getting customer data on things like purchase history or website behavior synced with your marketing automation platform was a technical challenge, and therefore took a lot of time and money. Photo: VentureFizz Bialecki and Hallen knew that if they could solve could make it easy to allow businesses to segment and user their data — solve the “how” — there were plenty of founders and marketers waiting to pay for it. So that’s what they did: focused on solving the hard engineering problems of creating reliable, real-time syncs between customer data and Klaviyo’s marketing platform. “Our strength was and is in engineering and we realized a lot of people were avoiding the hard problems, so we went at them head on,” says Bialecki. “Contrast that with solving a problem you know you can solve, but so can a lot of other people, and then hustling to find customers. We flipped that around — pick a problem with plenty of potential customers, but no clear way to solve it and then crack it.” Klaviyo built real time syncing for dozens of integrations, automatic error handling, data cleaning and they added a segmentation engine on top of the imported data with a simple interface so any marketer or founder can query their customer data. All of that is combined with a visual email builder and automation tools to eliminate most of the configuration growing companies had to do so they can focus on the creative and content of their messages. Make the Value of Your Product Really Obvious “Sell More” is a powerful pitch, especially when the product works. Klaviyo decided from day one to offer reporting that went above and beyond the traditional email metrics everyone else in their space was using: they showed customers down to the penny how much money they made from email. This meant building attribution algorithms into their software, which they knew people were looking for. After that, the sales process became a no brainer. “Proving ROI was ridiculously easy,” says Hallen. “We charged on a monthly basis, so we could say to prospective customers, ‘If you pay us money, we’ll help you make more money on the backend. What do you have to lose?’.” You Don’t Need Eight (Or Eighty!) People to Experiment The early days of a startup are often marked by fitful experimentation to find the right path. This should be done with as small a team as possible. One or two people should be able to figure out what the company should be doing, before hiring a team. Make a Million Dollars Before You Hire Employee #1 Photo: VentureFizz Despite figuring out a formula that worked, Hallen and Bialecki didn’t let sales go to their head. They waited until they were on a million dollar run rate before hiring anyone else. That meant handling everything themselves and constantly looking for opportunities to automate: sales, development, and the customer support tickets that would fill their inboxes overnight. “If you start by doing everything yourself it’s easy to imagine doing more yourself,” says Hallen. Handling customer support themselves was particularly valuable. “Many of our best insights came from talking or working directly with customers,” according to Bialecki. “We probably would’ve been slower to realize what people wanted if we weren’t answering support emails and phone calls every day.” Hire People That Amaze You If you follow the formula Bialecki and Hallen have outlined, you will — without a doubt — feel like you’ve waited too long to begin hiring. “Our business was growing so quickly we couldn’t keep up,” says Hallen. The company went from hiring its first employee in 2014 to its current state of 80 employees and growing in less than three years. But the worst thing to do when you realize you’re behind on hiring is to lower your bar, even subconsciously. You should expect the same passion and drive in your employees that you have yourself as a founder. “When hiring, never settle. Only hire people who will be as passionate as you,” advises Bialecki. “They’ll never let you down.” The Bad Side of Bootstrapping The Klaviyo story seems like a storybook startup, but Hallen would make some decisions differently the next time around. As of this writing, Google returns two stories on the company, one in VentureBeat and a local tech website, both related to the $1.5M in seed funding the company raised in August of 2015. Lack of PR hasn’t hurt the company in terms of sales, but when you’re succeeding and trying to hire dozens of employees simultaneously, it makes life harder. “I loved our focus early on, but I wish we’d a bit more time to talking to people in Boston so we didn’t have to introduce people to Klaviyo cold when we started hiring,” says Bialecki. Neither he nor Hallen would trade off their relentless focus on product and customers in the early days for a more well-known brand today, but they both acknowledge that it can make recruiting more challenging. Beyond branding, bootstrapping can lead to some close encounters of the furry kind. The company started in the Beehive, an underground co-working space sponsored by MIT in 2012–2013. Once they outgrew those digs they moved into the cheapest spot in Boston, which surprisingly turned out to be an office right off Boston Common. While it had an advantageous address, they also attracted some nocturnal visitors. A jar of almond butter lured in a family of raccoons who broke into the office one night. These days they are in nicer office space — no raccoons allowed. The Bottom Line: Be Relentless in Your Focus Entrepreneurs need to be focused on solving a problem. This advice sounds trite, but Hallen says if you’re not solving a real problem, for lots of customers, repeatedly, anything else is a waste of time. That includes going to startup meetups and pitching VCs. “We didn’t do any incorporation paperwork until we had sales,” says Hallen. “When we signed our first customer we said let’s go figure this out.” The lesson learned? Focus on creating a great product that solves a real problem first, and the business will follow.

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