Are Any MCU Gods Safe from Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder? – Den of Geek

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Asgardians

The Asgardians were arguably the first deities to be introduced to audiences in the MCU, debuting in Thor. Despite the suggestion that they are simply beings from another realm, those who hail from Asgard arent humble enough to shy away from the term god. Humanity has worshipped them as Norse legends, with each figure signifying a different aspect of their world. A god of thunder, a trickster, and the All-Father are just a few examples of ancient myths making their way into Marvel continuity.

Marvel has taken some creative license when it comes to the representation of these Asgardians. Although familiar fables are intertwined with their own storytelling, the comics and indeed the big screen have fashioned Thor into more of a superhero than a god. Theyve even added a range of original characters like the Warriors Three, to help round out their iteration of Asgard. Regardless, they are essentially immortal, genuinely powerful, worshipped by numerous species, and carry a protective role over the Nine Realms. Midgard might now play host to New Asgard, but its people are still as godly as they once were.

The Olympians are yet to make their impressive, if not slightly cheesy, debut in the MCU. Thor: Love and Thunder will mark the introduction of these Greek legends, a pantheon thats also extended to ancient Roman civilization as well. Zeus, Aphrodite, Hermes, Apollo, Hecate, Hades the list just goes on. All of these deities have played some significant or minor role in the comics, and are likely to be added to the MCU roster.

Mount Olympus is their traditional home and they may well have a similar treatment to the Asgardians, getting presented initially as an alien species. Ancient myth paints the Olympians as far from perfect, with their petty squabbles and extreme egos sometimes affecting Earth for the worst. But their spectacular gifts and status across human history are enough to grant them god status. Their appearance in the trailer for the upcoming Thor film does suggest that most of them will meet a grizzly fate at the hands of Gorr the God Butcher.

For those wondering, Hercules, or Heracles in the Greek form, might have begun life as a demi-god, but he does ascend to become the god of heroes; a role that the MCU might present to continue the warriors adventures.

Moon Knight has added yet another pantheon to the MCU, loosely known as the Ennead. In actuality, theyre the gods of ancient Egypt, fashioned from animal-based imagery and tasked with overseeing the development of human civilization. There are far fewer Egyptian deities than Asgardians or Olympians, but their power and status on-screen are perhaps far greater. They are presented as gods in the truest form, with Khonshu, Taweret, and Ammit becoming the standouts of the group.

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Are Any MCU Gods Safe from Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder? - Den of Geek

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi: U.S. Must Abandon Its Cold War Mentality; If They Treat Us Like An Enemy, This Will Become A Self-Fulfilling…

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On May 31, 2022, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke at the "Dr. Kissinger and China-U.S. Relations" symposium. He said that the world is faced with new challenges and that countries should join hands in building a world with a shared future and shared security, interconnectivity, development, diversity, and inclusiveness. He said that the United States and China share an obligation to take on this task, but that the damage done to U.S.-China relations by the Trump administration has not yet been repaired. He also said that U.S.-China relations cannot be allowed to deteriorate anymore, and that America must abandon its "extreme anxiety" and Cold War mentality. In addition, he warned that if the U.S. treats China as an enemy, this will become a "self-fulfilling prophecy." Wangs address was posted to the CCTV Video News Agency YouTube channel on June 2, 2022.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi: "As an old Chinese saying goes, a man with a great virtue enjoys longevity. Benjamin Franklin, one of the U.S. founding fathers, observed that if one wants to win immortality for one's name, he/she needs to do two things: either write things worth reading or do things worth writing. Dr. Kissinger, you have done both.

"The world today is faced with new changes unseen in a century. The raging COVID-19 pandemic, the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict and the darkening clouds of the Cold War all call for an answer from us to this question: Where should the world go? We should join hands in building a world with a shared future and shared security, a world of interconnectivity, openness and development, a world of diversity and inclusiveness with common progress, a world that leaves no country or individual behind, a world filled with possibilities and promising future.

"Building such a world is an obligation and responsibility that China and the United States must take on. Whether they can manage their relations well is a question of the century, to which the two countries must give a good answer. President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden both agree that China and the United States should respect each other, coexist in peace and avoid confrontation.

"President Biden reiterated on multiple occasions the five important pledges of the U.S. side, including not seeking a new Cold War with China and not supporting Taiwan independence. But in reality, the China-U.S. relationship has not stepped out of the difficult situation created by the previous U.S. administration. It is even facing more and more challenges.

"The narration of China-U.S. relationship histories is being deliberately distorted, and its future is in danger of being further taken in the wrong direction. The relationship cannot be allowed to deteriorate anymore. We must make the right choice. It is imperative to build the right strategic perception and to abandon the Cold War mentality.

"The current atmosphere surrounding China-U.S. relations is quite abnormal. The U.S. side's extreme anxiety is totally unnecessary. China's overwhelming task is to focus on its own development and meet the people's aspirations for a better life. If the U.S. insists on taking China as a threat or even an enemy, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy, bringing disasters to the two countries and the entire humanity. It is imperative to consolidate the political foundation and properly manage differences."

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi: U.S. Must Abandon Its Cold War Mentality; If They Treat Us Like An Enemy, This Will Become A Self-Fulfilling...

How to Navigate the Proust-Industrial Complex – The New York Times

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LIVING AND DYING WITH MARCEL PROUST by Christopher Prendergast

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Marcel Prousts death, and writers on both sides of the Atlantic are producing books on every aspect of his life, just as museum curators are organizing relevant exhibitions and musicians are recording the work that influenced the writer. (Proust even wrote texts meant to be recited to piano music by his boyfriend, Reynaldo Hahn.)

Proust has become the premier novelist of the 20th century. Every aspect of his uneventful but hugely productive life has been studied. Jean-Yves Tadi has devoted his adult life to researching his biography. In Search of Lost Time has been translated into nearly every language and several times into English. Library shelves groan under the thousands of volumes about the originals for his memorable characters, the theater he loved, the few cities he visited, his bizarre sex practices and so on. Christopher Prendergasts splendid new book, Living and Dying With Marcel Proust, revisits all the various threads woven into this intricate tapestry. Sometimes reading him feels like, say, seeing all of Venice in a gondola, seated beside a patient, smiling, all-knowing art historian though at moments we just want to be quiet and listen to the water.

Most of Prousts devoted readers concentrate on characters and on the roles of time, memory, art and love in his vast masterpiece. Prendergast, a fellow of Kings College, Cambridge, and the general editor of Penguins reissue of Prousts work, has drawn on his encyclopedic knowledge to cohere Prousts wide-ranging, scattered references: everything from the crucial device of metaphor to a wonderfully playful chapter on food, especially naturally pastry. A madeleine dunked in a tisane may catalyze the entire novel, but the narrator is equally beguiled by dishes prepared by his childhood cook, Franoise, the boeuf la mode served to a vacuous diplomat, the wonderful croissants accompanying his breakfast coffee, even the look and taste of asparagus, steeped in ultramarine and pink. Asparagus leads him into a discussion of Chardins still lifes as well as to the post-asparagus stench of the chamber pot.

But what of the titular living and dying? Prendergasts organization is more fruitful than logical. His chapters, typically, are named Days, My Name Is Might-Have-Been or The Quiver of Life. These headings allow Prendergast to quarry nuggets of gold from the vast complexity of Prousts book. He reminds us again and again of the delights of daily life, of sex, food, music, painting (though not of friendship, for which the narrator has little respect), but also of the equal and final majesty of death. Prendergast feels the entire long novel is death-haunted and cites Prousts verdict: Our love of life is no more than an old affair that we do not know how to discontinue. Its strength lies in its permanence. But death, which interrupts it, will cure us of our desire for immortality.

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How to Navigate the Proust-Industrial Complex - The New York Times

Record of Ragnarok chapter 74: Chaos is neutralized, Tesla’s past is revealed, and the key to humanity’s immortality is disclosed – Sportskeeda

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Record of Ragnarok chapter 74: Chaos is neutralized, Tesla's past is revealed, and the key to humanity's immortality is disclosed  Sportskeeda

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Record of Ragnarok chapter 74: Chaos is neutralized, Tesla's past is revealed, and the key to humanity's immortality is disclosed - Sportskeeda

Liches, Vecna, and Stranger Things: Our Interview With Chris Perkins – TechRaptor

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In the world of Dungeons and Dragons, the lich is one of the deadliest challenges for any adventuring party. When it comes to plundering lost dungeons for treasure, disturbing a lich's lair is very likely. One of the deadliest adventures from the TTRPG's earliest days, the dreaded Tomb of Horrors, is infamously about braving a gauntlet of traps and deadly encounters set by a lich.

In fact, one of the most popular liches in the game is Vecna The Whispered One. He is a lich so influential he has become (as far as anyone else is concerned) an undead god. Artifacts bearing his name have appeared in multiple D&D adventures. He has appeared as a major antagonist in the beloved Dungeon and Dragons liveplay series, Critical Role. And now, even the newest villain in the latest season of Stranger Things bears his name.

So what exactly is it about these boney spellslingers that have made them so enduring as staples of fantasy role-playing games? Why has the cache of certain names like Vecna or Acererak endured for over forty years?

Well, we here at TechRaptor decided to reach out to Wizards of the Coast about the place liches have in their vast fantasy universe and what makes them so compelling. This lead to us having a lovely correspondence with Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition's Lead Designer himself, Chris Perkins.

First, what sets a lich apart from other undead in Dungeons and Dragons? Unlike vampires, zombies, or ghosts, the creation of a lich happens when a spellcaster usually a wizard decides to undergo a transformation for immortality. They actively choose to perform a horrendous magic ritual, the steps are kept vague for Game Masters and storytellers to fill in the gruesome details for themselves, to rip out their soul, place it into a magical box called a phylactery, and preserve their mind from rot and decay, all at the cost of their body withering away to a shell. As long as the phylactery remains intact, the lich can simply reform its body while retaining all knowledge and experience it had in life.

It is because of this functional immortality combined with the lich's obsession with knowledge that makes them so terrifying. It plays into a very primal fear of most people with academic pursuits: that desire to learn more and to ensure that knowledge is retained forever. As Perkins himself stated, The quest for knowledge is something all great minds can appreciate, but the underlying irony is that some knowledge probably should remain hidden.

It is that last part, the idea of knowledge that should remain hidden, that seems to characterize Dungeons and Dragons' most notable liches. The demilich Acererak, the big bad of Tomb of Annihilation, attempts to birth a new evil god by draining the souls of the recently deceased with the aid of a device he devised. Those who seek the wisdom of Vecna must find his missing eye and hand, then replace their own limbs with these mummified relics. Even more benign liches like Exethanter, librarian of the Amber Temple within the mountains of Barovia, imparted the knowledge of communing with The Dark Powers; leading to the creation of the first vampire Strahd Von Zarovich. All of this thanks to these undead scholars' centuries of unfettered archival and study.

But there is a certain tragedy to liches as well. In order for their minds to remain sharp and active, a lich must actively consume the souls of the living. If this doesn't happen, they begin to fade, their vast knowledge withering away like their bodies. There's a good chance that even after all of that sacrifice and relentless thirst for knowledge and wisdom, a lich can be doomed to an eternity of nothing else to learn.

One of the earlier liches I remember was Larloch, who lived like a hermit in the depths of a dungeon in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Larloch was interesting to me because, despite his immortality and great power, he couldnt figure out a way to exist in the world of the living, so he sequestered himself in a dark sepulcher until he was all but forgotten. Thats really sad, but it says something about the lichs paradox: power and longevity dont actually amount to much in the end.

But by that same token, liches are highly motivated individuals. Because of that, their goals and desires can be just as diverse as any adventuring party at any gaming table. For Game Masters out there that want to embody the power and menace of a lich, these crucial questions need to be answered. What knowledge is the lich seeking? What rivals, if any, stand in their way? Perhaps, they seek the knowledge found within the Book of Vile Darkness, allegedly penned by Vecna himself? For these characters, lichdom isn't the ultimate goal, it is just another means to an end. But other than those specific details, a lich can be just about anything, as Perkins was quick to share.

After Vecna, my favorite lich is Vlaakith the Lich Queen, the supreme undead ruler of the githyanki. I wrote an adventure about her titled The Lich Queens Beloved (Dungeonmagazine, issue 100). Vlaakith holds court in the city of Tunarath, which is built on the back of a dead god in the Astral Plane. In Vlaakith, we see a lich who is leveraging her power and immortality to hold sway over a plane-spanning kingdom. She essentially has the power and influence of a god.

Alternatively, perhaps the lich isn't evil to begin with? For all of the drubbing that the Dungeons and Dragons community gave Fourth Edition, it did include some unique ideas. One of them was a special Epic Destiny certain magic-users could attain: The Archlich. You figure out the secrets of lich immortality, but without any gruesome human sacrifice or bodily mutilation. This means that good, charitable, and even altruistic liches can exist in the D&D multiverse. Perkins himself even agreed. Its certainly possible. I think its fun to have powerful spellcasting characters pursue lichdom as an epic destiny, since it leads to interesting story possibilities.

It is with all of these traits in mind that it becomes obvious why liches are so iconic in Dungeons and Dragons. From a storytelling perspective, there is a lot of texture to come from arcane scholars that delve too deep into the mysteries of magic. As a vehicle for fantastic battles and setpieces, they are a playground for Game Masters to escalate the challenge for their players.

It's why for many players the name of Vecna, the very first lich introduced in the earliest days of Dungeons and Dragons, is associated with devlish schemes, ruthless ambition, and terrifying power. The Whispered One is as synonymous with this game as polyhedral dice, Beholders, and Gelatinous Cubes.

With that in mind, it is no surprise his name is invoked in Stranger Things. While the Netflix series created by The Duffer Brothers wears a lot of its influences on its sleeve, 1980s genre film and Stephen King to name a few, the largest one by far is Wizards of the Coast's iconic tabletop RPG. The main cast are avid players of the game, using various terms and shorthand to give an explanation to the fantastical monsters they confront. These invocations have included the terrifying Demogorgon in Season 1 as well as the possessing, personality-eroding Mind Flayer in Seasons 2 and 3. If the ultimate mind behind the terrible forces threatening the small town of Hawkins and the world were to have a name, one that feels ominous and inevitable,Vecna would fit perfectly.

In fact, the promotional material showing the show's version of Vecna bears a striking resemblance to an official redesign of the character released by Wizards of the Coast. When asked about creative collaboration with the Netflix series, Senior Creative Director of Wizards Franchise Development, Jeremy Jarvis stated the following:

The Netflix team reached out to the Wizards Franchise Development Team, which is part of Wizards of the Coast but separate from the D&D Studio that works on theDungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game. Stranger Things shared their unique angle on Vecna for their universe and Franchise was able to share our new design and then together look for opportunities to collaborate in exciting ways.

Considering that Wizards of the Coast have worked with Netflix on cross-promotion in the past, this means we might see more of The Upside Down's version of Vecna at our gaming tables in the future. It also means that new players at the table will have a better idea of what to expect when these skeletal mages appear in their sessions.

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Liches, Vecna, and Stranger Things: Our Interview With Chris Perkins - TechRaptor

Fly on the Wall: A Visit to Elons Parallel Universe – Fair Observer

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The latest in Fair Observers series of fictional dialogues intended to make sense of the underside of the news. This episode belongs to the world of science fiction.

FADE IN:

INT.SHINY FUTURISTIC DOME

THE SCENE takes place 420 years in the future, in the palindrome year 2442. Planet AlsetDS14s most brilliant technological and entrepreneurial mind, NOLE SKUM (50) is on a Hypermooz 5-dimensional holographic call with SEGRIM (34), his ex and mother of two of his bionic children. NOLE has invented the first operational wormhole in the galaxy, but it is still a secret. In recent weeks, he successfully teleported himself to a parallel civilization, an alternate world (earth) exactly 420 light years away. People in these two alien civilizations share the same genomic identity, but in contexts separated in time by the distance between the two planets. Though both were created simultaneously, by an effect of space-time AlsetDS14 is 420 years ahead of earth, benefitting from four supplementary centuries of technological research and development.

NOLE

Hows it going? We havent pinged for some time. I was just calling to know how our kid is doing.

SEGRIM

Which kid? We have two you know.

NOLE

Oh yeah, I forgot. You know, the older one with the weird name I can never remember, its so complicated.

SEGRIM

Fred? Hes OK, but QY!f*inity has started making some sounds that resemble words.

NOLE

What was in our Knilaruen quantum brainfeed when we came up with that bizarre name, Fred?

SEGRIM

Yeah, its weird. My original idea was Derf!93, not Fred. My new holographic soulmate thinks it could have been the lack of oxygen in your wormhole that was playing havoc with our synapses.

NOLE

I told you not to tell anyone about the wormhole.

SEGRIM

Come on! Everyone knows youre obsessed with wormholes and fixated on conquering other planets. They know youve been slaving away secretly on the wormhole.

NOLE

Yeah, but, as usual, with their goddamn short seller mentality, they think I failed, that it would come to nothing

NOLE pauses, closes his eyes, wincing as if about to shed a tear.

NOLE (CONTD)

But thats great! Let them have their way. I couldnt have asked for more. It means nobody suspects what we discovered when the wormhole became operational.

SEGRIM

You mean the twin civilization hundreds of light years away?

NOLE

Yeah, populated by alternate versions of ourselves, weird, backward people locked in the pre-technological past who call their home earth, as if it didnt even deserve a number.

SEGRIM

Yeah, I guess they shouldve at least called it earthDS3 to indicate their rank in their planetary system where there arent even 10 planets and all of them natural, like just barren rock!

NOLE

In any case, what we discovered is too important to share with anyone.

SEGRIM

You mean, the fact that we are finally in contact with another civilization?

NOLE

No, everyone expected that at some point. But nobody imagined finding a civilization that is a mirror of our own. We are literally over there as well as being here.

SEGRIM

So it isnt just your invention of the wormhole, to be sure the wormhole IP yours and yours alone!

NOLE

Everyone understands wormholes are possible and that they annihilate space-time. But no one could have imagined wed reach something thats an exact mirror of our world the only difference being its 420 years earlier in galactic time.

NOLE looks up towards the sky then turns his attention back to the hologram.

NOLE (CONTD)

I know weve split up, Segrim, and, like we agreed, youre free to do your own thing, but, hell, you promised never to reveal the secret.

SEGRIM

I didnt tell anyone. Why are you accusing me?

NOLE

Somebodys been talking and it wasnt me.

SEGRIM

Well, it wasnt me. Maybe theres a leak in your goddamn wormhole!

NOLE

You traveled in it, didnt you? And you talked to people on earth.

SEGRIM

Only once. I was curious what kind of music my alternate identity, someone named Grimes, was into.

NOLE

Didnt I tell you not to interact verbally with anyone on earth?

SEGRIM

I didnt say anything about the wormhole. I just asked a few questions.

NOLE

They must have been the wrong questions. My alternate earth identity a guy everybody talks about, called Elon Musk apparently he got wind of it

NOLE (CONTD)

Anyway,its the only rational explanation I can think of for his recent strange behavior that keeps him constantly in the news.

SEGRIM

Now I get it! Youve been using the wormhole for trivial purposes, spending hours listening to all kinds of rubbish from earths ridiculous electronic media of four centuries ago as if it mattered today. Or even mattered then.

NOLE

Hey when Im not traveling through the wormhole, I use it to pump all their digital communication. Nothing trivial about that! Yknow, figuring out a parallel world thats still centuries in the past could help us understand our own past. I call that a public service.

SEGRIM

Come on! Youve always been a hopeless narcissist. Now youre lost in space admiring the parallel version of yourself.

SEGRIM pulls at her holographic hair then suddenly claps her hands.

SEGRIM (CONTD)

Wake up, Nole! He may look and sound like you, but Elons a loser. He hasnt done anything significant. I mean, its not like hes about to create a wormhole.

NOLE

Look, his obsession with moving earths population to another planet shows that even locked into a technologically backward past hes on to something.

NOLE pauses to let a new brainwave emerge through his neural wiring.

NOLE (CONTD)

OK, he doesnt know it, but we know that hell have to wait another 300 years at least before it even starts becoming conceivable. You know, once the Indians discover how to industrially manipulate quantum entanglement. Hell, those humans stuck in their dark ages 420 years ago hadnt even invented the immortality pill.

SEGRIM

Youre right about that. So sad! Poor wretches!

NOLE

You have to admit its kind of fun watching how things are going on earth. Maybe Elons really going to accelerate things. Hes on the right track. He even created something called the Boring Company

NOLE closes his eyes a few seconds to pick up information from his neural feed.

NOLE (CONTD)

Dont you find it funny that nobody on earth wondered why he would be so obsessed by the idea of boring.

SEGRIM

Wasnt it just a joke about being known for his eccentricity and always doing ridiculous things? I mean, like, telling people hes not just a boring scientist.

NOLE

No. He has so much money people refuse to think of his behavior as ridiculous. Its a world where money makes decisions and value judgments, not people.

NOLE waits for a nod of approval from SEGRIM for this deep thought.

NOLE (CONTD)

I finally figured out what the idea of boring really signifies. Its about Elons obsession with the idea that he might be the first to bore a wormhole in the galaxy. I can say that because, in a certain sense, his brain is my brain.

SEGRIM

True enough, you guys are definitely mirror images of one another. Pathologically obsessed by impossible ideas.

NOLE

Come on, you said the wormhole was impossible and now youve been there and seen it. They also said the immortality pill was impossible.

SEGRIM

Hey, that wasnt you. That was Yar Liew Zruks invention [translated into earth language: Ray Kurzweil].

NOLE

It doesnt matter. Its because everyone people like you doubted all these supposedly impossible inventions that Yar and I had to struggle so hard to make them work.

SEGRIM

Are you really convinced they did work? Maybe its all an illusion.

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Fly on the Wall: A Visit to Elons Parallel Universe - Fair Observer

Nike Dresses The Giannis Immortality 2 in Lapis and Laser Blue – Sneaker News

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As the Summer months come to a close the Leagues best will be meticulously working through the last of their training regimens before camp starts in September. Some guys opt for Pro-Am leagues to get into game shape while Giannis Antetokounmpo has been staying sharp with his native Greek national team. Amidst an emergence of warm weather styles from the Zoom Freek 4 during Eurobasket contests,The Swoosh is keeping the kids in the fold with this Lapis flavored Giannis Immortality 2.

Dressed in a shade eerily reminiscent of Minecrafts lapis lazuli ore, the darkened tone radiates with Laser Blue tooling on the sock-liner and exterior heel counter, coupled with hot red hints in the lace structure that matches the medial side Swoosh. A faint yellow hue emanates from the primary tongue logos while mixing with the aforementioned reds for a marbled outsole. And in a playful conclusion to the kids exclusive rendition of the Immortality 2 is a multi-color Swoosh.

For an up-close look at the Lapis Giannis Immortality 2, check out the images below while we wait on any further details.

In other Giannis Hoops news, have you seen the Yellow Strike Giannis Immortality 2?

Where to Buy

Make sure to follow @kicksfinder for live tweets during the release date.

Grade School: $85Style Code: DQ1943-400

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Nike Dresses The Giannis Immortality 2 in Lapis and Laser Blue - Sneaker News

The messages that survived civilisation’s collapse – BBC

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That literary heritage ranged high and low, and included hymns and omens, but also, very old drinking songs. As in the Maya world, the link between writing and power was advertised through monumental inscriptions. Nabu-kusurshu's tablets were sustained and protected by an entire culture.

But there was, perhaps, also an element of individual choice. Nabu-kusurshu appears to have taken pride in his writing, and taken care to perfect it, given how exceptionally neat it was.

Crisostomo is scouring the world's museums for more of Nabu-kusurshu's tablets, of which about 24 have been found. He has studied every detail of the brewer's handwriting, from how he shaped his signs to how he spaced his lines. "It's things like that where you start to really feel like you know these people."

Despite his own love for written language, Crisostomo says his message for the future would probably be an image so that "it could transcend the need for language", and avoid the pitfalls of decipherment.

It appears, then, that a good rule of thumb is to make your message to the future either gargantuan enough that it can't be ignored, or so small that it slips through history almost unnoticed, perhaps protected by its low profile. A visual or contextual cue seems to help, be it by adding a picture, or placing it somewhere relevant to its meaning like a temple or monument. And the scholars appeared to find it obvious that it was better to use an existing language, than try to make up an artificial, future-proof one. After all, real languages have cultures to love and support them, providing future decipherers with a wealth of clues and meaning.

In fact, cuneiform is experiencing a renaissance these days, as a young generation of Iraqis learn and experiment with it. A similar spirit is infusing the Maya hieroglyphs with new life. Native Maya speakers use it to make art, and put up new stelae to commemorate important events.

That human connection and fellowship, across vast stretches of time, perhaps forms the final step for an immortal message. As much effort as we may put into it, we can only trust that at the other end of the line, there'll be another person hearing our faint voice, and caring enough to listen.

Crisostomo often remembers this when he works on ancient tablets, some marked by thumb-prints of long-dead scribes. "Sometimes you'll sit there and you put your thumb right in that same space, and you think, 'OK, maybe this person was holding this tablet just like this, 4,000 years ago, and they're holding it and they're writing it, and I'm sitting here, reading what they wrote.'"

* Sophie Hardach is the author of Languages Are Good For Us, a book about strange and wonderful ways in which humans have used languages throughout history.

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The messages that survived civilisation's collapse - BBC

Games With Gold July 2022 Reveal Overshadowed By Xbox Game Pass – HITC – Football, Gaming, Movies, TV, Music

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The Games With Gold July 2022 reveal is happening this week and already looks to be overshadowed by the Xbox Game Pass titles confirmed for next month.

In total, there are already five titles confirmed for Microsofts other subscription service, the first arriving on July 1.

And this will be going up against whatever the tech giant has planned for Games with Gold during July 2022.

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Apex Legends | Saviors Launch Trailer

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Microsoft has not confirmed the exact date for its Games With Gold July 2022 reveal, something will be revealed before Friday, July 1, 2022. This will be the date that the first games are launched, one for Xbox One and one from Xbox 360. This means that Microsoft will need to share its plans sometime over the coming days.

Here are some of the dates used to share Games with Gold by Microsoft over previous months:

Four games will be available to download during July 2022, with most of the biggest games saved for Xbox Game Pass. And while we dont know what titles will be released on Games With Gold next month, we have some news regarding Xbox Game Pass.

Five titles have been revealed as arriving throughout the month, starting with Far Cry 5 on July 1, quickly followed by Last Call BBS on July 5 and Matchpoint Tennis Championships on July 7. The second half of the month will see the arrival of As Dusk Falls on July 19, and Immortality on July 26.

Meanwhile, with Game with Gold, the first two free games will be sourced from Xbox One and Xbox 360, for July 1, followed by a second batch going live on July 16, Some of these games will only be available for two weeks, while others will remain available for a full four weeks. Gamers will also note that PS Plus Premium has now launched and will be offering a much meatier rival to Microsofts GwG and Xbox Game Pass subscription services.

In other news, Games With Gold July 2022 Reveal Overshadowed By Xbox Game Pass

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Games With Gold July 2022 Reveal Overshadowed By Xbox Game Pass - HITC - Football, Gaming, Movies, TV, Music

The Most Hated Characters in ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’ – We Got This Covered

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is considered one of the greatest anime of all time. Written by Hiromu Arakawa, the world of Fullmetal Alchemist is fantasy-meets-science fiction, where individuals can learn to use alchemy an ability to change the matter around them with many specializing in specific fields.

The story follows Edward and Alphonse Elric, two talented young alchemists that are seeking a philosophers stone so they may return to their original forms, which were lost when they tried to go beyond the natural bounds of alchemy by attempting to resurrect their dead mother through human transmutation. They are not the only ones seeking the ability to create a stone, but what contrasts the two protagonists with the more villainous characters in the anime, is what they are willing to do, or in their case not do in order to attain this power.

They join the military as State Alchemists and quickly discover that there is something deeply wrong with their country. Through their research, they uncover a government-wide conspiracy and the disturbing truth behind why their country, Amestris, is a land of peace surrounded by war.

The central theme of the story is human nature, looking at humanitys best and worst, but also the gray areas in between. Arakawa writes villains just as well as the protagonists, each one has their own motivation and methods. Many characters are so caught up in their own desires and goals that they are happily willing to sacrifice anyone and everyone to attain them, whereas others simply enjoy sowing fear and destruction.

In a show littered with questionable characters ranging from genocidal megalomaniacs to sadistic thrill seekers these are the top 10 most hated characters.

Cornello only appears in the third episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, but he is quite the detestable character who uses peoples desire for hope to con them as a religious man. Some fans believe that his story was better served in the original anime, but Brotherhood glossed over it a little seeing as it had already been done before.

Cornello allowed himself to be used by the homunculi to create civil unrest desiring wealth and power believing he could create an army of religious zealots that would die for him. Manipulating religious belief for your own gain is not uncommon in the real world as well and makes an individual easily hateable.

He is the first of Fathers homunculi children and embodies the nature of Pride. Discovering that sweet little Selim Bradley, son to the King, was actually the oldest and most deadly of the homunculi was a great twist in the story. Pride cares little for his siblings, easily killing and absorbing Gluttony in order to gain his skills. He is narcissistic and self-aggrandizing, exactly what you would expect for the embodiment of the sin pride.

The only real feeling he ever lets on to is that he cares somewhat for his adoptive mother. So perhaps there is a shred of humanity in him somewhere.

As with many of the villainous characters enamored with the offer of immortality, General Raven has a rather Machiavellian approach to life. Originally trusted by Mustang for his kind nature, Raven eventually reveals his true colors and just how far the level of corruption goes when he shows Mustang that all of Central Command is in on the plan to sacrifice millions for the immortality of a few.

He is tricked into revealing his plans to Major General Olivier Armstrong, whom he tries to seduce with the promise of immortality, in a slightly lecherous way as well. He is so desperate to see the plan come to fruition before he dies that he fails to notice he is being used as a pawn by Father.

Many hate Wrath simply because he had us fooled for quite some time. Wrath first appears to the audience as King Bradley, ruler of Amestris and head of the military. At first, he seems genuinely quite pleasant and laid back for a ruler even mischievous at times but we come to realize its all a ruse. The man has a tremendous amount of fury that he struggles to contain as he is actually the vessel for the homunculus wrath.

Unlike the other homunculi, Wrath is still human and separates himself somewhat from the others, even going as far as sympathizing with humanity from time to time. Where fans come to hate him though was when, during Hughes funeral, what at first appeared to be him shaking out of grief for his fallen soldier, turned out to be him shaking in anger as Hughes daughter ruined the silence with her crying.

He is a confusing character but seeing as he seems happy with the plan to sacrifice the nation he is meant to serve, fans have every right to hate him.

This creepy character works behind the scenes enacting Fathers plans. He is seen in the flashbacks to be the one administering Bradley with the liquid philosophers stone to create Wrath, a procedure that had multiple fatal failures before. The doctor is happy to experiment on individuals to further Fathers goals, but also to gain more knowledge for himself, blinded to humanity by his own desire to see his experiments work.

He tries to force Colonel Mustang to open up a gate of truth by slashing Riza Hawkeyes throat in front of him, which would have forced him to use human transmutation. The doctor is happy to use others, including the men he trained, as pawns to sacrifice their lives for his cause but proves to be a coward when its his own life at risk.

Though this character has very little screentime, his actions are enough to cause some major hate to be aimed at him. As the ruler of Xerxes, a prosperous and advanced land, the king seemed to be originally well-liked by his subjects. But as he aged and death drew near he became frantic to avoid his fate, desperate enough to go along with the plan of The Dwarf in the Flask and sacrifice the lives of his entire kingdom in order for himself and his court to gain immortality.

Of course, he didnt exactly get what he bargained for and died alongside his countrymen, to create the first-ever philosophers stone. He was the first in a long line of humans that allowed themselves to be manipulated by the homunculus for their own greed.

Kimblees twisted mind is despicable and his actions are considered more so because he is human and yet acts in such an inhumane way. As a State Alchemist during the Ishval war, Kimblee reveled so much in the destruction that he used his explosive style of alchemy on innocent targets. These acts caused him to be imprisoned after the war ended, though he was later released by the corrupt government when they had a need for him.

Kimblee is an interesting amoral character, happy to observe from the sidelines or get involved with either side, depending on how he feels about it. He genuinely respects those with strong abilities and convictions and will attack anything he believes to show weakness, even taking on Pride from within when the homunculi strays from his ideals.

He delights in causing pain, saying that the screams of tortured souls are but a lullaby to him, and he fully deserves the hate that he gets for his lack of empathy and humanity.

Father was the original Homunculus, created eight centuries prior to the main story in the now lost city of Xerxes. Created through alchemy and using the blood of a slave boy who would become Van Hohenheim they manipulate the desperate King into believing he can reach immortality by sacrificing all of his people, only to betray him and use the sacrifices to create a philosophers stone powerful enough to grant him his own immortal body.

They seek to overthrow God, which requires enormous power, so they create the land of Amestris ruling from the wings, planning wars in specific areas to create a huge alchemical transmutation circle powered by the bloodshed. The transmutation circle would then sacrifice everyone within it in order to grant Father the power to tackle God or Truth as he is known.

His complete disregard for anyones life but his own creating violence and instigating wars over centuries for his own selfish ends marks him as one of the greatest villains in anime history.

Despite not being the big bad of the show, Envy has earned the ire of fans for their truly despicable acts. As one of the seven homunculi, Envy has the ability to transform into anyone. They are responsible for the shocking death of one of the series most beloved characters, Maes Hughes, a family man who loved his wife and daughter beyond all things.

Not only did they kill Hughes, but they took the form of his wife to do so, causing Hughes to pause before striking, making the last thing he saw the image of his wife grinning as she killed him. They then set up Second Lieutenant Maria Ross for the murder of Hughes leading to her execution which she thankfully escaped with the help of Colonel Mustang.

Not to mention it was their actions that were the catalyst for the bloody war in Ishval when they took on the shape of an Amestris soldier and shot dead a young Ishvalan girl. They delight in causing chaos, pain, and suffering, seeing humans as nothing but worms beneath them, though through their tragic and pathetic defeat we come to realize how much they envy humans.

Shou Tucker is not just the most hated character from FMA: Brotherhood, but often tops the list of most hated anime characters. For a character that doesnt even get that much screentime, its an impressive feat, one he has achieved by committing one of the most heinous acts in anime history.

Scared of losing his license having not produced anything of note since his last chimera two years prior Tucker uses his adorable young daughter Nina and the family dog, Alexander, to create a new one. When showing his creation to the Elric brothers, the chimera looks at Edward and says Edward Big Brother, causing a horrified Edward to grasp the truth. Edward surmises that the first chimera was Tuckers missing wife and then attacks the scientist who claims that all science requires sacrifice and that human testing is to be expected when advancing science.

Fans were truly disgusted by the scientists actions, finding him utterly repulsive and pathetic, and have since viewed him as one of the most detestable anime characters of them all.

Watch all these villains in action, as Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is available to stream on multiple platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll.

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The Most Hated Characters in 'Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood' - We Got This Covered

The Goddess of learning – The New Indian Express

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Saraswati is the Goddess of learning, knowledge, speech, art and music. She is worshipped in three different formsas speech, as a river, and as a goddess. Saraswati is shown as fair-complexioned, with four arms. She is seated on a swan or a white lotus and holds a veena (stringed musical instrument). In her other hands, she holds a mala (prayer beads), a book symbolising the Vedas, and a water-filled kamandala (a small vessel with a handle). She is dressed in white and blue garments, befitting her status as a river. Unlike Durga, she does not carry any arms.

Saraswati is also known as Vidyadatri (Goddess who provides knowledge), Veenavadini (Goddess who plays the veena), Pustakadharini (Goddess who carries a book), Hamsavahini (Goddess who sits on swan) and Vagdevi (Goddess of speech). In Mahabharata, Saraswati is called the mother of Vedas.

Saraswati is the only Goddess of the tridevi (the other two goddesses are Lakshmi and Parvati) who is mentioned in the Vedas. It is remarkable that she has been able to retain her importance even though most Vedic gods and goddesses declined later. As a mighty and benevolent river, Saraswati had a unique place in the Vedic civilisationthe same place that the Ganga holds for modern-day Hindus.Kingdoms, ashrams and pilgrimage sites came up all along her banks. The Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rigveda like the Purus, the Bharatas, the Nahushas, the Turvasas and the Yadus had their settlements on the banks of Saraswati. In the Vedas, she is praised as the bringer of nourishment, fertility, wealth, vitality, children and immortality. She is mentioned as the origin of all pleasant songs and pious thoughts.

In the Puranas, there is a story about how Saraswati became a river. There was a terrible battle between the Bhargavas, a group of Brahmanas, and Hehayas, a group of Kshatriyas. Out of this was created an all-consuming fire called Vadavagni. At the request of the devas, Saraswati took the form of a river and carried Vadavagni to the ocean to save the world. Some studies have indicated that the river Saraswati later dried up due to movement in the earths tectonic plates. Despite numerous attempts in modern times, her past location remains uncertain.

Saraswati Puja is held during the festival of Basant Panchami, in late January or February, which marks the start of preparations for spring. On this occasion, young children are encouraged to write their first words. Many families study or create music together. Many schools organise Saraswati Puja for their students. Saraswati is the only one from the tridevi who is worshipped more than her husband, Brahma. Being the goddess of learning, Saraswati is frequently remembered by students on exam eve.

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I WooHooed an alpha wolf and then betrayed him in The Sims 4 Werewolves – PC Gamer

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No Twilight dunks. No Teen Wolf gags. No tired references to any supernatural teen fiction of my bygone youth. Those are the promises I made to myself when I agreed to write about the new Sims 4 Werewolves game pack. And yet I accidentally wound up mating with an alpha werewolf, joining up with the rivals to his pack, and making plans to bite his new toddler.

The fanfic is writing itself and I am powerless to stop it.

My Sims 4 Werewolves session started appropriately. I created a young adult werewolf with an undercut, nose rings, the cute new patchwork baggy jeans in the Werewolves game pack, and allowed the randomizer to bestow her the name Margaret Ruff. Folks who have the Pets expansion will recognize the many fur color, pattern, and painting options available to make a rather unique werewolf with the same tools. I still think they look a bit like Jim Carey in a Grinch costume, but they did grow on me.

I expected (wrongly) that I would need to inject a bit of my own drama into werewolf life, so I made Margaret a vegetarian, a kleptomaniac, and set her up with a job as a night shift babysitter. Everything turned tails up very fast. Moonwood Mill's one affordable starter home is actually pretty cute as default homes go, showing off a bit of rustic cabin flare. I originally thought it odd that it came with neither TV nor computer, until I found out how prone werewolves are, even in human form, to wrecking their appliances at random with accidental superhuman strength. Margaret could barely browse the fridge for a snack without breaking it.

I quickly set aside concerns for Margaret's property because I couldn't be bothered with placing her on an eternal sink, stove, and fridge repair routine. Instead, she wandered Moonwood Mill. Frankly, I recommend spending as little time as possible at your own home because Moonwood is stacked with common spaces and community lots. I've always felt "eh" about Live Mode, but these areas actually felt worth spending time in.

There's a library and gym combo in an old warehouse, effectively a community center, where Margaret researched the secrets of werewolf lore. There's a bar with a secret clubhouse bunker beneath it where she snatched many a wolf nap. There are sewer grates full of secrets that she partially explored.

Most important are the Moonwood Collective pack's treehouse and the Wildfang trailer, popular hangout spots for their respective members. Margaret needed to get into one of these packs for a little stability: She couldn't stop breaking her sink and had just three simoleons to her name. Getting sent home from her only joba twice-weekly babysitting gigfor transforming into werewolf form in a rage certainly hadn't helped.

The Moonwood treehouse is where Margaret got to know Kristopher Volkov, chill alpha male of the Moonwood pack. He seemed like a decent guy, immediately choosing to help calm Maraget's rising werewolf fury when she showed up. Every werewolf has a fury meter that fills over time, especially under a full moon (every eight days by default), and when it finally maxes out they'll lose control, transform into a wolf, and go on a rampage around town scaring other Sims or smashing up their own homes.

Kristopher quelled her rage meter and delivered a bit of explanation: the Moonwood Collective wolves are all about mastering their rage and living in harmony with humans, unlike their rivals the Wildfangs who take pride in their wolf strength and see the Collective's attitude as cowardly. Margaret, vegetarian evangelist, babysitter, and lover of a good cable-knit, seemed like a perfect fit for the chill Collective.

The fanfic is writing itself and I am powerless to stop it.

Kristopher thought so too, because he started inviting himself over to her house. Often. Kristopher was so intent on spending time with Margaret, unbothered by her perpetually leaking sink, that I decided, what the hell, let her flirt with him. That one decision launched a drama worthy of a young adult paperback and now I have no idea how to stop it.

As soon as Margaret flirted with Kristopher I was notified that she'd found her fated mate, the one werewolf she's meant to be with. I tested the boundaries quickly, finding that she got tense flirting with anyone who isn't her fatemate. I scoffed. Of course my young adult Sim werewolf was destined to be with the grey-in-his-beard alpha, who was an unknown number of years older than her. Immortality is a high level werewolf skill in the tree, after all.

Though I mock my accidental YA novel setup, I rolled with it. Margaret and Kristopher had a whirlwind courtship the likes of which many Sims have experienced: flirting on the couch until 2am, a first kiss under a waning moon outside the library, and WooHooing in a bush across town.

But Margaret was still a growing wolf. She quickly went from a pup, to runt, to prime wolf. I used her ability points to unlock skills for treasure scavenging, enhanced smell, and night vision, while she gained passive abilities like control over when she entered her wolf form. At each new wolf rank she also gained a trait that I didn't pick. She started out excitable, gaining more fury while in a playful mood, which was fine.

Then she became prideful of her wolf abilities and also developed "wolf brain" making intellectual pursuits more difficult. Uh oh.

Much as I personally appreciated Kristopher's werewolf philosophy, I knew Margaret was meant to be a Wildfang. She made quick friends with the Wildfang alphaconveniently Kristopher's estranged adopted daughterand joined the crew. She got a weekly jerky allotment, a werewolf magazine subscription, and the expectation that she'd start spreading her werewolf prowess all over the world.

It didn't come between her and Kristopher at first, though I was fully intending for her to tell him Wildfangs rule pretty soon, and surely that was not going to go over well. Not two days later, Kristopher called to tell Margaret that he'd adopted a toddler, a little girl named Perry who almost immediately developed a grudge against her. Is Kristopher planning to turn her wolf when she's old enough? Or should I go behind his back and have Margaret do it herself? This furry family tree got pretzel-shaped in a hurry.

Sims 4 Werewolves may be billed as a Game Pack, not expansion, but the new neighborhood, skill tree, super customizable werewolf form, and the built-in drama of wolf life add way more than I expected to the game. I normally turn my nose up at Live Mode and go back to building my little houses, but I need to find out just how unhinged the next chapter of the Margaret Ruff series gets.

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I WooHooed an alpha wolf and then betrayed him in The Sims 4 Werewolves - PC Gamer

A Dyson Sphere Could Hold they Keys to Immortality – Popular Mechanics

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In 1960, British theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson published a one-page paper in the journal Science that offered perhaps the most hopeful vision ever conceived of humanitys technological future. Dyson imagined that an advanced civilization would meet its heightened energy needs by building a sphere around a star to absorb its energy output.

The paper focused more on theory than engineering, and Dyson provided scant details on what such a megastructure might look like or how we might build one. He described his sphere only as a habitable shell encircling a star. But that was enough to captivate and inspire astrophysicists, scientists, and sci-fi writers. In some depictions, the Dyson Sphere, as it became known, appears as a massive ring encircling a star and reaching nearly to Earth. In others, the Sphere completely encases the sun, a hulking megastructure capturing every bit of that stars energy. In addition to scientific works, Dyson Spheres have appeared in novels, movies, and TV showsincluding Star Trekas a home for advanced civilizations.

Dyson himself understood the challenges of constructing such a massive structure, and he was skeptical that it might ever happen. Nonetheless, his Sphere has stirred ambitious ideas about the future of our civilization, and it continues to be offered as a solution to some of humanitys most dire dilemmas. Harnessing the total energy of our sunor any starwould solve our immediate and long-term energy crisis, but when civilization gains access to the complete energy output of a star, meeting our terrestrial energy needs is just the beginning.

With so much energy available, we could direct high-powered laser pulses toward exoplanets that we think may contain life, immeasurably expanding our chances of communicating with distant civilizations. These Dyson-powered beams could travel farther into the universe than anything currently possible, penetrating the higher-density areas of space, such as dust clouds, which decay the signals we send now.

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Alternatively, we could use that power to help reach exoplanets directly by harnessing the energy we need toas some astrophysicists postulatemanipulating the space-time continuum to shorten the trip via experiments in quantum gravity. One intriguing option relies on creating so-called Kugelblitz black holes with pure photons, which have already been theorized to power the interstellar starships of the future. By warping space-time itself, we might be able to travel faster than light or create wormholes that provide shortcuts for crossing the galaxy.

More enticing still, the near-limitless energy made available by Dyson Spheres could solve some of the most perplexing barriers to life extension. Proponents of cryogenics recognize that widespread and longer use could create energy demands that far exceed whats currently available. And in 2018, researchers Alexey Turchin and Maxim Chernyakov posed that artificial intelligence might be able to digitally reconstruct people in a simulated world using DNA and other information from the deceased. Creating simulations rich enough to satisfy a race of near immortals would require huge amounts of energynot to mention clearing the many ethical and philosophical hurdlesbut the researchers proposed that Dyson technology could deliver the needed power.

Dysons ambitious vision seems more relevant than ever today. If technology continues along its current growth curve, global energy demands could increase by 50 percent in the next 30 years, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources will help in the near term, but a long-term solution will require more daring engineering. Dysons Sphere could be a bold solution, but it comes with obvious physical and mechanical problems, and its not clear whether these could be solved even by a civilization many thousands of years more advanced than ours.

As a professor at the Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Technical University Berlin, Ive devoted decades to understanding the possibilities related to advanced alien civilizations. Ive coauthored five books on extraterrestrial life, and my interest in this science inspired me to study Dyson Spheres as a possible form of advanced alien technology. Around a decade ago, I became intrigued by the kinds of large engineering projects an alien civilization might undertake.

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In 2010, I looked at the feasibility of building a Dyson Sphere. Working with Brooks Harrop, a former physics student of mine at Washington State University in Pullman, we found numerous problems with the common conception of a Dyson Sphere, the most important of which was the spheres risk of collapse. A rigid concentric sphere around a star would experience a gravitational pull on every point. No material known today could resist that force. Engineers might counter this with a complex thruster system that keeps the shell in place via a counteracting force, but given the enormous mass of the shellmost conceptions imagine the structure to have a radius of 93 million miles, the distance between Earth and the sunsuch a system would consume a huge fraction, if not all, of the energy collected by the shell in the first place.

But say we could overcome these problems and manage to build the sphere far into the future: How would it survive meteors, asteroids, or radiation and solar flares? An object with the mass of Halleys comet would crash into the structure with a kinetic energy of more than 1 million hydrogen Tsar bombs, the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated.

Dyson foresaw those risks and acknowledged that a shell or ring surrounding a star would not likely be feasible. But the physicist proposed a solution: A loose collection, or swarm, of objects traveling on independent orbits around a star, harvesting its energy while avoiding most of the physical and mechanical problems of a solid Dyson Sphere. The satellites could be built over time and delivered gradually to the network, increasing the swarms energy production over time.

A Dyson Swarm of about 10 million satellites could fulfill humanitys energy needs. Thats a lot, but modern satellite constellations are creating precedence for such an engineering feat. SpaceX can launch 240 Starlink communication satellites a month, and as of February 2022, it already has more than 2,000 in space. The fleet could number in the tens of thousands by its completionnot Dyson Swarm amounts by a long shot, but enough to fuel our imagination.

To overcome the challenges of Dysons original concept, Harrop and I set out to find a realistic design for its replacement, the Dyson Swarm. We called our idea Solar Wind Power Satellites (SWPS). While traditional solar panels use the energy of visible light, our satellites would harvest the electrons that make up half of the solar wind. (The other half consists of protons and alpha particles.) Fast solar wind has a velocity of ~750km/s-1making these electrons richer in energy than those in the visible light hitting a solar panel. The heart of our SWP satellite is a long metal wire pointed at the sun, which would be charged to produce a magnetic field and then direct incoming electrons into a spherical metal receiver. These electrons would produce a current, which would in turn maintain the magnetic field in the wire and create a self-sustaining system between the two.

Most of the current would remain to power an infrared laser beamed toward receiving stations on Earthinfrared is optimal due to the transparent infrared window in our atmosphere, which allows wavelengths between roughly 8 and 13 microns through without absorption. After the laser sends its electrical energy to the receiving station, the remaining electrons would fall back onto a ring-shaped sail, where incoming sunlight can excite them enough to keep the satellite in orbit around the star.

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Each SWP satellite would have a mass of about 3.7 metric tons (about three times the weight of a GPS satellite) and would provide a continuous power output of about 2 megawatts per 24-hour day, meeting roughly the energy needs of 1,000 U.S. single-family homes. A full swarm of SWP satellites could fulfill all of humanitys energy needs.

These satellites could be built with relatively simple, inexpensive materials; the major construction expense would be 950 feet of copper wire per satellite. And because they use solar wind as their energy source, these satellites would absorb a minimal amount of heat and operate at nearly 100 percent efficiency. Traditional solar cells, by contrast, are expensive to produce because they require high-purity silicon for their semiconductors, and they have a notoriously low efficiency, about 20 percent.

A few technical hurdles stand in the way of a Dyson Swarm. While SWP satellites require little maintenance, theyre not self-cleaning. If positive ions rather than electrons from the solar wind get caught in the sail, they would reduce the efficiency of the satellite and, over time, degrade the system. We also didnt solve how to maintain a steady location in space amid variations in the solar wind, or how to arrange the orbits of millions (or eventually billions) of satellites around a star. And while small-scale, power-beaming laser systems have made large strides in recent years, a system that works in space is still a challenge. Small temperature changes of less than a degree Celsius would result in large changes to the lasers wavelength and output efficiency. Keeping a constant temperature in space is a headacheits difficult to transport heat from hotter to colder bodies where there is no atmosphere. We havent solved every problem of the Dyson Swarm yet, but maybe another civilization has.

In my book The Cosmic Zoo: Complex Life on Many Worlds, coauthored with William Bains, a senior research fellow at Cardiff University, we argued that once life arises on a planetary body, it will eventually evolve to become intelligentassuming the planet stays habitable long enough. The basis of this argument is that all major transitions in the evolution of life on Earth seem to have occurred several times independently from each other, or via different biochemical pathways. That would suggest that some of the trillions of other planets in the universe could have experienced this same evolutionary process, and a subset of life forms on those planets could have evolved to become intelligent. Have they advanced enough to build a Dyson Sphere? Freeman Dyson hypothesized that if they did, we could detect it.

Traditional Dyson Spheres with a solid shell might emit waste energy in mid-infrared wavelengths, detectable by current human instruments. At least one research team has looked for such a signature. Jason Wright, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, and Matt Povich of California State Polytechnic Universitys Physics and Astronomy department, used data from NASAs Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to search for a strong infrared signal in space, which would be expected from a Dyson Sphere. That search failed to find a Sphere, but perhaps the reason our telescopes havent seen any megastructures in space is that the aliens have come to the same conclusion we did in our paper: A gigantic, solid Dyson sphere is impractical, even for a civilization more advanced than our own.

Though we might never see our sun encased in a megastructure, or draw our energy from millions of satellites orbiting around it, the scienceand science fictioninspired by Dysons Sphere continues to animate some of our most ambitious thinking about life on this planet and beyond. That might be its most valuable contributiongiving us an ambitious target to aim for, and making way for a revolutionary discovery in the attempt.

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A Dyson Sphere Could Hold they Keys to Immortality - Popular Mechanics

Andrew Wiggins shines amid Steph Curry struggles as Golden State Warriors move to one win from NBA immortality – The Mirror

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The Golden State Warriors are one win away from a seventh NBA championship in franchise history after they defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to take a 3-2 series lead

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The Golden State Warriors are just one win away from continuing their dynasty and securing a fourth NBA championship in eight years after Andrew Wiggins inspired them to a 104-94 home win in Game 5 against the Boston Celtics on Monday night.

In a crucial NBA Finals contest, Wiggins duly delivered the biggest performance of his eight-year career as he dropped 26 points and collected 13 rebounds. He and teammate Klay Thompson did most of the damage, with Thompson - who returned from back-to-back Achilles and ACL injuries earlier this season - contributing 21 points to give the Warriors a 3-2 series lead.

After producing a masterful 43-point game to level the finals at two games apiece, Steph Currys NBA-record streak of 132 successive postseason games with at least one three-pointer made ended, along with his NBA-best run of 233 consecutive matches with a three when accounting for regular season games too. The 34-year-old shot 0-9 from beyond the arc, but the Warriors overcame his poor shooting as the Celtics committed 18 total turnovers and missed 10 free throws at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Curry finished with 16 points and eight assists, but Wiggins was undoubtedly the star man for the Warriors in Game 5 as the Canadian produced a terrific all-round display that highlighted his prowess in scoring, defending, and rebounding. Wiggins performance came 36 years after his father Mitchell came off the bench to lead the Houston Rockets to the win against the Celtics in Game 5 of the 1986 NBA Finals - but the Rockets went on to lose the series.

Wiggins - dubbed Maple Jordan as a highly-rated youngster - had zero turnovers and clearly has no intention to let the Warriors suffer the same fate as his father's Rockets. He capped his sensational night with an assertive one-handed slam dunk late in the fourth quarter.

Ultimately though, other Warriors outside of Wiggins stood up amid Currys struggles as he failed to make a three in an NBA game for the first time since November 8 2018. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admitted the two-time MVP was probably due a game like this as Curry has starred in these NBA Finals and is the frontrunner to take home the Finals MVP award.

Draymond Green brought the energy, making an early play where he collided with an audience member - and an enormous cheer ripped through the arena when he checked if the woman involved was OK. The crowd then exploded into raptures when Green sold a fake to the entire Celtics defence, allowing the former Defensive Player of the Year to easily get to the basket.

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Thompson also hit some mega three-pointers, including a quick-fire double in the middle of a dominant Boston run in the third quarter after the Warriors had thrown away a 16-point lead. The 32-year-old went 5-of-11 from deep in the win.

As for the Celtics, it was a tough night. For so long, Jayson Tatum looked like he was set to unleash his best performance of the series for a spell in the third quarter but his wildly inconsistent play ensured he unravelled with poor decisions and erroneous shooting from the free throw line.

The 24-year-old twice missed his opportunity to score after fouls, and Boston finished a poor 21-of-31 from the line. Tatum scored a game-high 27 points to go with 10 rebounds, but he could only give the Celtics - who led these NBA Finals 2-1 - their first made three in the closing moments of the second quarter as the road team struggled to put the ball in the basket from deep.

Marcus Smart overcame a sluggish start to finish with 20 points, while Jaylen Brown put up 18 points after originally going 2-of-11 to start the game. Brown even finished without a three-pointer, as he missed each of his five attempts.

The Warriors have made exceptional third quarter performances their USP this season, but the Celtics used the period to conjure up their best basketball of the evening. Boston trailed Golden State 51-39 at the break before storming back with 35-point burst in the third.

Al Horford hit a huge go-ahead three-pointer with 6:28 left in the quarter that made it 58-55 as the Celtics appeared to finally find their shooting rhythm from deep. Grant Williams three with approximately four minutes remaining was Bostons eighth straight three after missing their first 12 attempts.

The erratic nature of the game was embodied by the Celtics deep shooting, with Tatum and Smart coming to the fore while Brown faded in and out of the game. On the other hand, the Warriors overcame an awful shooting display in the first half (17% from three) to play with more composure in the second half - and it paid dividends.

The key moment came in the third quarter when Thompson connected on a three after the Warriors had missed 14 straight efforts, and it allowed the five-time All-Star to find his rhythm for the remainder of the contest. Jordan Poole - who finished with 14 points - struck with a 33ft three to beat the third-quarter buzzer, giving the Warriors a slender 75-74 lead heading into the fourth.

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Do you think the Golden State Warriors will win the NBA Finals over the Boston Celtics? Let us know in the comments section.

With momentum back on their side, the Warriors cemented the massive win as Wiggins, the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, powered home a dunk with 2:10 remaining. The 2022 NBA Finals have proved to be a series defined by hard and physical defence, and Wiggins excelled as he unsettled Tatum throughout.

Throughout this campaign, the Warriors have insisted their current roster is different from the iconic side that clinched three titles and reached five NBA Finals between 2015 and 2019. It appears they are more similar than even the staff and players realise, as the Warriors continue to collect high-profile wins one way or another.

One more win in Boston on Thursday night and the Warriors will seal another championship, ensuring they will have that in common with their Kevin Durant-led predecessors. One more win to elongate the dynasty and secure NBA immortality.

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Andrew Wiggins shines amid Steph Curry struggles as Golden State Warriors move to one win from NBA immortality - The Mirror

Is There A Real Difference Between White And Yellow Peaches? – Tasting Table

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In many parts of the United States, there's a much anticipated time of year: the peach season. However, any peach lover knows that not all peaches are created equal. If you're not familiar with the different varieties, take a few minutes to better understand them and their uses. Widely grown in the United States, yellow peaches have a fuzzy, pinkish-orange outside and bright yellow flesh. Compared to white peaches, they have a strong, sometimes slightly acidic flavor. Cook's Illustrated reports that their hardy flesh and strong flavor make them ideal for baking.

While white peaches look similar on the outside, the flesh is soft and white. According to Specialty Produce, the fruit originated in China, with a long history of cultural significance. In Chinese mythology, peaches represent health and longevity as they grow on the tree of life and are eaten by the gods to retain immortality. It's easy to see why. Chock-full of vitamin C with a sweet, delicate flavor and a scent that is sometimes described as floral, the white peach is a healthy food with a heavenly taste.

While 80% of peaches grown in China are white, they're less popular in the West partially because they bruise easily and are harder to transport. In addition, while yellow peaches taste great in pies, cobblers, and even grilled, white peaches are too soft and easily turn to mush. However, they're great for eating raw; you can also use overripe peaches for sweet, refreshing ice creams and smoothies.

While the worst thing that can happen if you decide to bake with white peaches is a mushy cobbler, PennState Extension states that canning them can be downright dangerous. With a pH of above 4.6, white peaches are considered low-acid fruits. That's what causes the sweet, delicate flavor that makes them so delicious. However, it also means that the bacteria which cause harmful and sometimes deadly infections like botulism, aren't destroyed in the canning process. So while yellow peaches can be canned with a water bath or pressure canner, PennState Extension warns that you should avoid canning white peaches altogether.

However, you still have options if you want to preserve white peaches for colder months: PennState Extension suggests freezing them as an alternate preservation method. The Spruce Eats reports that you can also experiment with dehydrating peaches but keep in mind that dried fruit has been linked to salmonella outbreaks.

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Is There A Real Difference Between White And Yellow Peaches? - Tasting Table

6 Things We Learned from Honorary Lesbian Drake’s New Album – INTO

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Move over Hot Girl Summer: 2022 is shaping up to give us Unexpected Album Summer after famed honorary lesbian Drakeone single day after the life-saving announcement of a new Beyonc album and a surprise single from FKA Twigsgifted us with a surprise album last night. Honestly, Nevermind is a instant classic in the Drake genre, even if its missing some of the bombast of last years Certified Lover Boy in which he famously outed himself as a he/they lesbian.

In classic Drake fashion, the album gives us a look into the romantic fears and vulnerabilities of one of the worlds most iconic lovers of womenwhile flawlessly upholding his doomed romantic persona. Its mellow, hilarious, and sexy all at once: another classic Drake combination. Here are a few of the most important truths we uncovered while listening:

This one seems obvious, but theres some deep wisdom buried in here. You cant buy love, and you also cant buy ambition. But you can be an honorary lesbian if you try hard enough.

2. He Doesnt Go to the Met Because They Only Provide a Plus One (Sticky)

A longtime mystery solved at last! Who would Drake bring to the Met if they did give him more than a plus one? And more importantly: what would he wear? The mind boggles.

3. His Mother Wanted Him to Go Corporate (Sticky)

Okay but why work for a corporation when you can BE a corporation, Sandi?

4. He Speaks Beautiful French (Sticky)

Not exactly a surprise because, you know, Canada, but very hot. Imagine Drake calling you cherie. Tell me thats not lesbian culture. Also the fact that the song is called Sticky, I rest my case.

5. His Funeral is Going to Be Lit (Massive)

Thats how he treated people! This is definitely something we already knew, since I personally cant imagine Drakes funeral being anything less than a stadium-filling event with lots of fireworks and possibly a 50-foot Drake hologram. But I dont want to spend too much time on this thought because the idea of a world without Drake is too sad for me to contemplate. More life, naythe most possible life for Drake! Immortality for our favorite honorary lesbian.

6. He Loves the Way They Hang (Jimmy Cooks)

F*ck the silicone! Honestly, this is the energy that makes Drake a beloved honorary lesbian to begin with. He likes you just the way you are, babe, and never forget it. That said, lets not forget that Drake is very surgery-positive. Hes a fan of an enhanced butt (who isnt?) so dont ever fall into the trap of thinking that Drake is trying to surgery-shame anyone. Hes just saying that hes a fan of those big naturals. What dyke isnt?

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6 Things We Learned from Honorary Lesbian Drake's New Album - INTO

Shane Lowry shows off Boston Celtics attire ahead of the first round of the US Open – Irish Mirror

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Shane Lowry took to Twitter to show off his threads ahead of the first round of the US Open - and Boston Celtics fans will be impressed by the Clara man's choice.

Posting a tweet to his official Twitter page, the photo displayed a crisp white polo shirt with a large Boston Celtics logo emblazoned on the back.

It is a savvy move from the Co. Offaly golfer given that this weekend's US Open will take place at The Country Club at Brookline, a course not too far outside of Boston, Massachussets.

The Celtics' official logo since the 1960's has been a depiction of a leprechaun spinning a basketball, but shamrocks also hold a close association with the NBA team.

The emblem adorning Lowry's shirt is the Celtics' secondary logo, which is used at present on player and fan apparel.

Captioning the post, Lowry said: "All set for tomorrow."

Alongside the US Open, there are other major sporting matters to be settled in the States this week, and the NBA Finals - involving the Celtics - continue on Thursday night.

The Celtics face a win-or-go-home game against the Golden State Warriors who, with their 3-2 series lead, are looking for just one more win which would secure them a fourth title in eight years.

There is encouragement for Boston, however, in that they have won three games when facing eliminiation in this year's playoffs.

They will be looking to win and force a first Finals Game 7 since 2016.

That would take place on Sunday evening, by which time Lowry's own fate will have been sealed.

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Shane Lowry shows off Boston Celtics attire ahead of the first round of the US Open - Irish Mirror

Newly Announced Marvel Show to Focus on Scarlet Witch’s Long Lost Love – Inside the Magic

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) director Destin Daniel Crettons secret Marvel Studios original series has been revealed to focus on Simon Williams/Wonder Man. He is working with Andrew Guest, a writer-producer on Brooklyn Nine-Nineand Community, to introduce one of Marvel Comics oldest characters yet to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Related:Agent of SHIELD Star Takes Shots at Simu Liu, Reminds Fans She Was First

Simon Williams/Wonder Man first appeared in Marvel ComicAvengers #9 (1964) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. As a young man, he inherited his fathers company, but thanks to Tony Stark/Iron Mans Stark Industries the company was losing money. So his brother tricked him into embezzling money and joined Baron Zemos Masters of Evil.

Simon Williams got his powers after Baron Zemo experimented on him. His powers include an ionic form the tissue and bones of his entire body were strengthed by Pym Particle charged iota in the ionic ray bombardment procedure. This gives him super strength, super senses, enhanced stamina, flight, and immortality.

His brother Eric Williams was the villain Grim Reaper. He tried to kill Earths Mightiest Heroes after Simon died and his brainwaves were used to create the Vision. Simon William would work as an Avenger and the West Coast Avengers for a while but left to try his hand at becoming an actor. He was disillusioned with the failures of the Avengers and turned down Steve Rogers/Captain America when he invited him to rejoin. He eventually formed the Revengers.

Simon was in love with Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. Because his brainwaves were the basis of the Vision the three of them have had one of the strangest love triangles in Marvel Comics. Clint Barton/Hawkeye was another of Wandas love interests during this time.

Related:Marvel Destroyed, Tom Cruises Masterpiece Changes Hollywood Forever

The MCU has teased Wonder Man for a while. Nathan Fillion (Firefly) has campaigned to play Simon Williams for years. He filmed scenes for James Gunns Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2(2017), but he was ultimately cut from the film. He did get to voice Wonder Man in the now-canceled M.O.D.O.K. series on Hulu, which starred Patton Oswalt.

It was also rumored Wonder Man could show up inWandaVisionwhen leaks revealed concept art for him. However, he never appeared in the MCUs first original series for Disney+. WandaVisionsspinoffAgatha: House of Harkness is also in production.

The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Simon Williams/ Wonder Man is headed to Marvel Cinematic Universe. It seems to dash Nathan Fillions dreams of playing Wonder Man in live-action as other outlets have thrown out names like Evan Peters as being in contention.

Related:MCU Actor Might Leave Marvel Behind to Play James Bond

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness left Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) with an uncertain future. Head writer Michael Waldron will not even confirm if she is alive or dead. So her return could come in Crettons new series. And Marvel fans will remember that White Vision (Paul Bettany) is still somewhere, just waiting for the Marvel Universes strangest love triangle.

Let us know in the comments if you are excited about the Wonder Man series.

You can stream Scarlett JohanssonsBlack Widowand the six series inMarvels Phase Fourso far Elizabeth Olsen and Paul BettanysWandaVision, Anthony Mackie and SebastianStans The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Tom HiddlestonsLoki, MarvelsWhat If?,Jeremy RennersHawkeye, and Oscar IsaacsMoon Knight on Disney+ anytime.

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Newly Announced Marvel Show to Focus on Scarlet Witch's Long Lost Love - Inside the Magic

UFC 275 Began a Changing of the Guard – MMA Sucka

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UFC 275 gave us so many electrifying moments that we cherished as fans of mixed martial arts. The main event between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka becoming an all-time classic, the unexpectedly tough challenge for Valentina Shevchenko from Taila Santos, the highlight reel spinning back fist finish by Weili Zhang, and the emotional announcement of the long-reigning former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk after her loss to Zhang.

Jedrzejczyks retirement from MMA competition will affect the UFC landscape. Even though she wasnt as active towards the end of her career, all of her fights were extremely impactful for womens MMA. Not only did she always fight high-ranking opponents such as Michelle Waterson and Tecia Torres, she was part of many classic fights in her unsuccessful journey to recapture her title against Rose Namajunas and Weili Zhang. Lets not forget that she was going for UFC immortality by moving up a weight class and fighting for the vacant 125-pound title against Valentina Shevchenko. No matter who her opponent was or where she was fighting, Jedrzejczyk always had many fans around the world watching her when she stepped into the Octagon. The absence of this important figure for womens MMA will definitely leave a void for MMA, but her retirement may be part of something bigger.

We might be witnessing the passing of the torch for many fighters who are part of the key groups that propelled UFC into the mainstream around 2015. Many of those fans grew up watching Joanna reigning over the 115-pound weight class during that time and now retiring in 2022. Also retired in 2022, just the past couple of months ago, are former strawweight contender and title challenger Claudia Gadelha and UFC veteran Felice Herrig.

In addition, fans and media are constantly talking about the future plans of Tony Ferguson and Frankie Edgar, a pair of fighters who were pivotal figures for their respective weight classes and were at the pinnacle of their careers around the same time as Jedrzejczyk. Fans are also persistently questioning how many more fights Conor McGregor has in him, a figure who started the UFCs entrance into mainstream culture.

All sports have eras that are defined by the athletes who are in each respective period, so seeing a changing of the guard like this is only natural. However, since MMA is so new, many fans are experiencing this type of shift for the first time. Witnessing this journey of old faces appearing less and less and new fighters gaining prominence and being inspired by those legends in the past will be very interesting as a fan of this sport.

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UFC 275 Began a Changing of the Guard - MMA Sucka

Missed Out: Ruminating on the Milwaukee Bucks-less NBA Finals – Brew Hoops

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The Milwaukee Bucks are no longer reigning NBA champions.

After dispatching the Boston Celtics in six games, the Golden State Warriors have reclaimed the NBA title, their fourth time seizing the crown in eight seasons. Steph Curry didnt need it, but he earned his first ever Finals MVP award, adding yet another accolade to the greatest-shooter-of-all-times collection. The Dubs dynasty appears to be alive and well, and a fair portion of Bucks fans are viewing the achievement with a mix of admiration, jealousy, a bit of pride due to the Milwaukee connection, and the slightest hint of schadenfreude.

First things first: most, if not all Bucks fans, are perfectly pleased that the title went to a team thats NOT the Celtics. Milwaukee and Boston have butted basketball heads before, but this last series brewed a fair amount of bad blood between the two fanbases. In particular, the antics of Marcus Smart, Grant Williams, and head coach Ime Udoka rubbed most of us the wrong way, so seeing them fall short of basketball immortality feels...right. Of course, given that the Bucks are only one season removed from their title and the Celtics just made the Finals, this rivalry should remain in good health in 2023 and beyond. Boston and Milwaukee might not be the only teams in the Eastern Conference next year, but it feels like theyre the only two teams that will matter.

All that said, its difficult to shake the shoulda, coulda, woulda that comes with Milwaukee having been knocked out in the second round, despite being favored by many to return to the championship. Were it not for their All Star forward getting injured in the previous series, Milwaukee would have been at full strength, they could have met the Miami Heat in the conference finals, and they would have returned to the Finals and overwhelmed Golden State with their size. But the game isnt won by hypotheticals, so sooner or later Bucks fans will have to cope with the disappointing ending to yet another promising year within Giannis Antetokounmpos prime. The good news is, so far, that Khris Middleton should be ready to go next season...and the additional time off means some well-deserved rest for the rest of the Bucks roster.

Theres always next year. Thats what weve been saying since last month, what the Celtics have been saying since last night, and what all 29 teams tell themselves when they fall short. Its the necessary coping mechanism of fanbases everywhere. In the case of the Milwaukee Bucks, though, I have a feeling that its more than just talk.

Stay tuned.

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Missed Out: Ruminating on the Milwaukee Bucks-less NBA Finals - Brew Hoops