The First Time I Rode a Bike Without it’s Training Wheels

I well remember when my father bought me a bicycle to ride. They put on training wheels and I rode around in it, and after a few hours he took the training wheels off and held the bike while I took off. Oh I wasn’t all that good, but I go the hang of it soon enough.

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ksnip 20250202 093431

I started to ride that bike everywhere, though there was always this asshole kid that would jump in front of me forcing me to sway to prevent hitting him. I must have been in 12 or more bicycle crashes because of him.

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ksnip 20250202 093541

I was maybe 4 years old at the time.

Would it surprise anyone what happened to this kid when he was in his early to middle 20’s? Yeah …

Just…

Be good to others. Really.

Be kind and polite. This needs to be taught at an early age. Seriously.

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ksnip 20250202 093842

Hindsight from the eyes of age.

Today…

What a distorted question.

You got that wrong, since Taiwan is a province of China, the question should actually be written as…

“Why does the United States want to risk a global thermonuclear war with China over it’s province?”

Now if you are [1] ignorant, [2] a moron, [3] a victim of propaganda, or just [4] young you might get really angry because you bought into the propagandized lies originating out of the USA. Sorry if that is the case. As we used to say in the ‘States; “You can’t fix stupid”.

Some clarity for ya…

  • The United States officially recognizes Taiwan as a province of China.
  • The United Nations officially recognizes Taiwan as a province of China.
  • Taiwan (even!) officially recognizes Taiwan as a province of China. (It is actually carved in stone in Taipei.)

But…

There are some groups of people that think that this is not important.

  • American neocons. They think that lies about the true situation with China is necessary for them to garner public support for a war with China.
  • American “news” media. War means more money and reporting revenue.

But for us “normal folk”, war is a pretty bad idea.

And if that isn’t bad enough, most of us believe that global thermonuclear war is really an incredibly stupid idea.

So let’s answer this question as it was supposed to be written…

“Why does the United States want to risk a global thermonuclear war with China over it’s province?”

The American neocons believe that a war with China is NECESSARY for the following reasons…

  • China is doing better than the United States at just about every level. Thus exposure to access of what is REALLY going on in China will spark a revolution inside the USA. A war will prevent that access to “the enemy”.
  • The United States will win any war with China because “America is exceptional”.
  • By destroying China, the United States will survive because Americans have guns, and freedom. And that matters more than food, happiness, shelter, and factories.

Australian Professor Hugh White reveals why China can’t be stopped by USA

Chicken with Apricots and Potato Straws

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ksnip 20250202 113024

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound) skinless chicken, cut into small pieces
  • 4 whole dried hot red chiles
  • 1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick, broken
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 7 cardamom pods
  • 10 cloves
  • 2 teaspoons grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 4 ounces pitted dried apricots
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 pound onions, cut in very fine half rings
  • 2 tablespoons tomato puree mixed with 8 ounces hot water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons white malt vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 7 ounces potato, peeled
  • Oil for deep frying

Instructions

  1. Put red chiles, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom and cloves in a grinder and grind finely.
  2. Put chicken in a large bowl.
  3. Put 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1/2 teaspoon garlic and half the dry spice mix on the chicken. Mix well, rubbing seasoning into the chicken. Set aside for one hour.
  4. Put the apricots into a pan with 3/4 pint water. Boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender but not mushy. Turn off the heat and leave apricots in juice.
  5. When the chicken has marinated, heat 6 tablespoons oil in a pan over medium heat.
  6. Add onions and stir and fry until they are a rich reddish-brown.
  7. Set heat to medium and add remaining garlic, ginger and dry spice mix. Stir, then add chicken. Stir and brown for 5 minutes.
  8. Add the tomato puree mix and salt. Boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
  9. Add vinegar and sugar; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  10. Turn off the heat and spoon off as much fat as possible from the surface.
  11. Put the apricots and 3 tablespoons of their juice into the pan with the chicken and let set for at least 30 minutes.
  12. Make potato straws. Fill a large bowl with 3 pints water.
  13. Add salt and mix.
  14. Grate potato coarsely, put into the bowl of water and stir. Remove the potato, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Drain and dry on paper towels.
  15. Heat the oil slowly. When hot, add the potato straws. Stir and fry until crisp and pale golden.
  16. Remove and drain on paper towels.
  17. Heat the chicken through gently and serve with potato straws.

A Strange Encounter

Submitted into Contest #280 in response to: Center your story around a character who overhears others talking about them. view prompt

Myth Maker

I’ve traversed countless realities, but nothing prepared me for the day I arrived in place unlike any other. Most universes follow familiar patterns; convergent evolution means humanoid species are common. But this place? This was the Australia of the multiverse.

 

As an Ainsingtly—a fragment of human consciousness that gained self-awareness—I’m used to being tossed about dimensions. One moment I’m tethered to a being in a world of crystalline spires, the next I’m snapping back to my human anchor on Earth. It’s exhilarating, never knowing where I’ll end up or how long I’ll stay. But this time was different. This time, I couldn’t wait to leave.

The moment I materialized, I knew something was different. The air shimmered with an oily iridescence. Gravity felt…wrong. And the beings—dear God, the beings.

 

I found myself tethered to what I can only describe as a sentient purple circle. Not anthropomorphized, mind you. Imagine a child’s crayon drawing come to life, undulating itself across a landscape of prismatic crystal lands and liquid metal seas. Two other entities—one blue, one pink—accompanied my new host.

 

I call them Purple, Blue and Pink. Creative, I know.

 

Probing Purple’s consciousness to gain insights undetected yielded only static-laced emotions. When I attempted English telepathy, Purple erupted in mental feedback that made my non-existent stomach lurch. It was like free-falling through a hurricane of pure sensation.

 

Purple’s companions reacted with frenzied bursts of what I can only describe as emergency-alert levels of psychic noise. Whatever I’d done, they didn’t like it. As an incorporeal being, I’m used to going unnoticed. But these entities were aware of me—and if the butterflies in my stomach were anything to go by they were afraid.

Panic rose within me. I’d never been detected before, let alone feared. I tried projecting calm and friendliness, but got no reaction. I mustered all the zen I could and projected again, louder this time. Still nothing.

 

One silver lining was the world’s beauty. A red-yellow sun created mesmerizing kaleidoscopes against iridescent skies, reflected in chrome seas. It was wondrous and utterly alien.

But the beauty couldn’t mask the growing dread in my core. The butterflies in my stomach intensified as rage and confusion passed between Purple, Blue, and Pink. I was stuck, unable to communicate or decipher their intent.

 

In desperation, I tried projecting images, but my memories held nothing relatable to this bizarre world. As the entities’ agitation grew, so did my fear. For the first time in my existence as an Ainsingtly, I felt truly alone and vulnerable.

 

I had to find a way to connect, to understand. As the alien sun began to set, casting long shadows across the crystalline landscape, I realized this was more than just another fleeting adventure. It was a test of my ability to adapt, to communicate, to survive.

 

How does one communicate with an alien, it’s a question as old as time I’m sure. But faced with this question in the immediate and real sense it was overwhelming. Communicating with the humanoids has been relatively simple, admittedly I’ve only done it twice so far but this challenge was daunting.

 

How do you decipher the emotions, am I interpreting the emotions properly do they correlate to those of humanoid life forms? Is what I’m receiving even an emotion or is this their language? The questions were spiraling and making me sick and dizzy as they kept branching into new questions. I’m not sure if an incorporeal disembodied consciousness can have a panic attack but I was on my way, so I decided to slow down.

 

I thought to myself what are the similarities in what I’m receiving from these beings. The only thing I could think of was how intense and frenzied the feedback was I was getting. Could there be an emotion that I could project as frenzied and intense but friendly? I needed a plan, or two or three when dawn came to try again. I was glad that these beings seemed to be diurnal and sleep at night.

 

It dawned on me, laughter, laughter can be intense and frenzied but on the whole it is a good emotion and welcoming. What else, I thought long and hard and love and grief are the only two other emotions that in my limited experience I was confident I could muster in at the intensity necessary to communicate. Now the real trick, how can I communicate that I’m friendly and mean no harm with only laughter, love and grief?

 

Its a good thing that I don’t need sleep, it took all night to come up with a plan, I just had to wait for my opening. As dawn came I heard rustling, like the leaves of trees whipping in the wind, looking around for the source of this sound I was awestruck to see what appeared to be a flock of sticks traversing the early morning skies. This world was truly bizarre.

 

As Purple, Blue and Pink started their day I could tell they were still wary but the nauseating levels of alarm I received yesterday had abated to my relief. Probing Purple’s consciousness carefully I was struck with a sense of confusion interlaced with lingering fear. Purple was alone, with Blue and Pink undulating a distance away, this was my moment. I prayed that I wouldn’t further scare these beings but still I had to try.

 

With renewed determination, I gathered every ounce of love I could muster, recalling the warmth of human connection, the joy of discovery, the wonder of existence. I projected it toward Purple, building like a crescendo to the loudest I was able to summon.

To my relief, I wasn’t met with any immediate frenzied reply. Instead, a haze of confusion mixed with curiosity emanated from Purple. I had done it—I had made contact without causing fear! My self congratulation was interrupted when I noticed we were undulating our way over to Pink and Blue.

 

I steeled myself for a cacophony of reaction, being in close proximity I am able to communicate with and perceive others. I sighed relief as all I was getting from the group was curiosity, unfortunately my audible sigh startled them. So as not to get set back too far, I projected laughter as a cascade of mirth and joy in an attempt to diffuse the startling noise and win back my new companions?

 

Figuring out how to project laughter confusing. Laughter inherently is noisy and when you project the emotion of laughter without the noise I was afraid I’d done it wrong. But after a few minutes of contemplation the group replied with what I assume was laughter of their own, the sensation was like being tickled feather light at first then full on rolling on the floor. We had found common ground!

 

The relief I was feeling was palpable and my new companions agreed. The frenzied buzzing static like nature of the emotions that were being exchanged ebbed to a smoother form of communication. Its difficult to carry on a conversation in pure emotion but I think I held my own.

 

We spent the remainder of the day conversing in this new emotional language. As afternoon made its way to dusk, I felt a familiar pull. My time here was ending. I projected grief, attempting to communicate my imminent departure. To my surprise, I was met with reciprocal sadness. I was overwhelmed I had communicated and ostensibly made friends with true aliens.

 

As I drifted away from my new friends, their alien forms blurring in my vision, I couldn’t help but wonder: What lesson was there in this journey? Communication is difficult even under the best of circumstances, stripping communication down to its base of emotion was even more difficult and profound than I could have ever imagined.

 

I can only wait for the next time I go hurtling across the multiverse, ready to face whatever strange lands and beings await me. For now, though, I carry with me the memory of laughter shared with circles of living color, a reminder that connection can transcend even the most alien of barriers.

Picture time

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OpenAI’s nightmare: Deepseek R1 on a Raspberry Pi

Think robots, and intelligent coffeepots…

Yes.

It’s not uncommon. The main things that you need to take into account is [1] even loading distribution, along with the [2] weight limitations for the container. You must make sure that [3] the vehicle is secure and will not be damaged. Finally, [4] loading and unloading must be carefully conducted and supervised.

Kurt Sanders

6 likes 2 comments

Mystery Science Fiction Western

SCENE ONE The door of the Sheriff’s office suddenly opens.Sheriff! There is a man down at the saloon asking questions about the town. You had better get over there. BUSTER! Have you ever heard of knocking first before you come running in? Um… Sheriff, I thought this office was always open to the public. I mean, there is no lock on the door. Yes, but Buster I may be busy doing something…and… well, never mind just knock next time. Okay sorry. Did I interrupt anything? I see you are just sitting at your desk and well… sorry, I will knock next time.So, what’s going on at the saloon Buster? A man is asking questions about the town, I think he might be from the government. So, come on, you need to get over there before the bartender says too much. You know how Chester likes to run his mouth.The Sheriff stood up at his desk, umm… Sheriff, why are your pants down? Buster asked.

The Sheriff looked down and quickly sat back down.

Never mind, go on back to the saloon, I will be along in a minute.

Okay, but Sheriff…I

The Sheriff interrupted. Just go, will you.

Buster gave him a funny look and turned towards the door.

And close the DAMN door behind you. The Sheriff shouted.

All right, Abigail, you can come out from under there now.

But Sheriff, I haven’t finished.

That’s okay Abigail, I will have to get back to you later. I need to find out what this fella at the saloon wants.

 

SCENE TWO

I understand you have some questions about the town.

Are you the Sheriff of this town?

That’s right. And you are?

Murphy, James Murphy. I work for the government.

Well, what can I do for you, Mr. Murphy?

Your town here, Sheriff. It does not appear on any maps. I just happen to stumble upon it.

Well, we are just getting started, Mr. Murphy.

I see, well what is the name of this town? I did not see any signs around either.

The Sheriff starts looking around, oh it’s… uh, Chester…Chesterville. Looking at Chester the bartender.

It seems Sheriff, you have a lot of people, and a large town with lots of buildings, a saloon, and of course, you the Sheriff. You say you are just getting started. That’s interesting. What do all these people do here? You are not anywhere near a river; I did not see any agriculture or farms around when I rode in. I did see a couple of ranches with a few heads of cattle, but certainly not enough to sustain all these people.

Well… Mr. Murphy, I… um, I have some other business to attend. Feel free to look around our town if you would like.

I will Sheriff, you can count on it. I didn’t catch your name.

Brodie, Sheriff Brodie.

 

SCENE THREE

Listen Sheriff we cannot have this governmental guy snooping around. If he finds out what is going on here, what then?

I am aware of that Buster, I’m thinking. We must somehow get him out of here. To do that we have to convince him we are just a new town, and there is nothing to see here. We can’t kill him. But if he doesn’t leave, we are going to have to detain him somehow. How much more time do we need?

We are getting close to finishing, the exact time I don’t know. Buster replied.

Tell Samuel I need to see him right away.

Buster turned toward the door of the Sheriff’s office.

And SHUT the damn door, Buster!

 

SCENE FOUR

You wanted to see me, Commander…I mean Sheriff?

Yes, Samuel. Watch how you address me.

Yes sir…sheriff, sorry.

How much more time do we need?

Three weeks, maybe four, tops.

We are going to have to speed up the timeline. We have a man from the government starting to snoop around. If he gets suspicious, we may be in trouble. We may have to leave sooner than we wanted to.

It is going to be tough sheriff. I have the crew working 24 hours now.

I understand, get as much of the product loaded as you can. I will keep you posted. I have Abigail trying to keep the agent occupied if you know what I mean, but I don’t think it will work for long.

 

SCENE FIVE

What’s your name again?

Abigail.

Well, Abigail, you are a lovely woman, and you certainly know what you are doing in bed. But I am beginning to suspect you are trying to keep me distracted. We have been in this bed all day.

I just find you so damn handsome Mr. Murphy, I can’t keep my hands off you.

James, call me James.

Well James, you certainly know how to… let’s say satisfy a girl. She giggles slightly.

That’s sweet Abigail, but I think I would like to look around the town some.

I can show you around if you would like…James.

As lovely of an offer as it is, I would like to look around on my own.

 

SCENE SIX

James steps out the front doors of the hotel he is staying in. Nightfall is approaching. Looking up and down the street he notices a large glow of light behind some hills about a mile away. Buster approaches him.

 Mr. Murphy, how are you tonight?

Fine, your name was, what?

Buster, they just call me Buster around these parts.

Alright Buster, perhaps you can tell me what that glow of light is over behind those hills?

Buster looks off in the direction of the hills.

Listen, Mr. Murphy, why don’t we go across the street to the saloon, and I will buy you a drink. You look like you are thirsty.

Thanks, Buster, but I think I will pass for now.

James began to walk down the street. Buster headed for the Sheriff’s office.

Buster burst into the Sheriff’s office. Abigail was sitting on the edge of the desk with her dress hiked up and Sheriff Brodie’s pants were down around his ankles standing between her legs.

DAMN IT BUSTER! What did I say about knocking first? Christ, I am never going to get any nookie at this rate.

Buster turns around and knocks on the door.

What are you doing Buster? The sheriff said sarcastically. You are already inside. Gees, I am surrounded by idiots.

He has seen the lights sir, and he is asking about them.

Damn it, I knew we were not going to be able to slow him down much. Okay, where is he now? The sheriff asked while pulling up his pants.

But sheriff…

Later Abigail.

Buster, go get a few more men and keep an eye on what Mr. Murphy does. If it looks like he is going to the stables to get his horse, you guys take care of him.

Kill him?

No moron! Just knock him out and tie him up. Our directive will not allow us to kill him, idiot. Just go take care of him, will you please? I need to go talk to Samuel.

 

SCENE SIX.2

James approached the stables and opened the door. Just then four men jumped him. A fight ensued, but the four men overpowered him, knocking him out and dragging him inside. They tied his hands and feet and left him in one of the horse stalls.

 

SCENE SEVEN

Samuel, we are going to have to wrap up things here. How close are we?

We are about 93% of oil capacity, sir…ah… sheriff, sorry.

You can drop the sheriff; it doesn’t matter anymore. 93% that’s it? Well, it will have to do for this trip. Get everything packed up and get everyone on board. And put Abigail…I mean Lieutenant Qorira in my quarters. I swear I am going to get some nookie at some point.

 

SCENE EIGHT

James woke up and found himself tied up. Looking around he saw a sickle leaning against a far wall. He wiggled and rolled towards it. He positioned the suckle the best he could and rubbed the rope tied around his wrist against the sharp blade until he was able to free his hands.

Reaching into his boot he pulled out a knife he kept there and cut the rope around his feet free. He quickly retrieved his horse out of the stall it was in.

Jumping into the saddle he pointed the horse towards where he saw the light on the other side of the hills and took off at full gallop.

 

SCENE NINE

How is everything going Lieutenant Tythor?

Almost ready, Commander

And Lieutenant Qorira?

In your quarters as you requested, sir

Ah, very good Lieutenant, umm, you may…ah… carry on. I… umm, have some important business in my…umm, quarters to take care of. How much longer before we leave?

Ten minutes, sir.

Very well then, continue.

Yes sir.

 

SCENE TEN

James rode the horse as fast as he could. The light behind the hills was still there but not as bright as it was when he first saw it.

He reached the top of the hill and looked down into the valley between the hills. There was a large shed with some type of light on the front of it that was far too bright to be a lantern.

Suddenly the light went out, there was a deafening loud noise. The top of the hill across the valley busts open and an exceptionally large tubular-shaped craft exits the opening and very quickly sours off into the night sky.

James is thrown off his horse by the blast. Laying on the ground he looked up and watched the craft go out of site in just a few moments moving at tremendous speed.

 

SCENE Eleven

Well Abigail, I mean Lieutenant Qorira we finally have some alone time. Now where did we leave off?

I believe we… She was interrupted by the communication panel.

Commander, we have a situation here.

The commander rolled his eyes, What now? He said out loud.

What is it Buster, I mean Captain Vervain? The Commander said sarcastically.

We are surrounded by four hostile ships, sir.

From where? Who are they?

I believe they are pirates out of the Shu Colony Sector, sir. They want to speak to you directly…umm, sir.

Can’t you just handle it? It’s kind of your job.

Well, sir. They want to talk to you.

Christ: Take the Commander job, it will be easy they said. I should have all the idiots that told me that, vaporized. The Commander thought to himself.

What do they want, Captain?

Our oil, sir.

Tell them no. Sound angry, I find that helps.

Already tried that, sir. Now they say if they don’t talk to you in the next ten minutes, they will open fire on us.

Well, that’s just ludicrous Captain. If they destroy us, they won’t get the oil at all. Why can’t they go get their own? Lazy Shu bastards.

Um… sir you better get up here to the bridge.

The commander turned around and saw Lieutenant Qorira lying provocatively on the bed.

Commander. Wagging her finger at him

Later Abigail. He said with a deep sigh slowly walking out the door.

What’s going on “under the hood” of these “stock companies”. OMG!