OwOarchist

negative time hints at negative energy

Energy = mass, and negative mass would have some really bonkers paradoxical behavior...

However paradoxical it may seem, it has a directly measurable effect on the atomic cloud that the photon traverses

So ... a proton exits this 'atomic cloud' before it enters?

Am I the only one in the world with an organized file structure?

It certainly wouldn’t be my first choice for a lead-melting vessel is what I’m getting at. Not that no one has used them for that purpose, I’m absolutely sure plenty of people have, but I’d probably be looking for something a little smaller and/or deeper for that purpose if I had any choice in the matter.

Yeah ... but sometimes people just use what they've got.

This certainly isn't an ideal container ... but it's also not entirely terrible, either. It can handle the heat without baking off impurities, and it does at least have those side pour spouts, which makes it better than a lot of containers that don't have spouts at all.

I wouldn't rule it out just because this pan isn't the ideal lead-melting container.

1: Break off some of the little shiny specks.

2: See if those specks will stick to a strong magnet. (If not, that's a bad sign.)

3: Do one of those at-home test kits on only the specks.

If it didn't stick to the magnet and the test kit says positive for lead, then you know you're not getting a false positive on iron -- if it was iron or anything ferrous, it would have stuck to the magnet. That doesn't absolutely guarantee the accuracy of the test kit, but it would eliminate one common false positive.

If you can separate a sufficiently large speck, you could also do a hardness test on it: what materials is it able to scratch, and what materials rub material off of it? Lead is very much on the softer side, so if the specks are easily deformed and abraded -- especially when tested against things like aluminum -- that's another bad sign that it might be lead.

And, at any rate, I'd be leery of it if the specks don't stick to a magnet. The list of non-magnetic, silver-colored metals you want in contact with your food is pretty short, while the list of ones you don't want in your food is pretty long. Lead is probably the most likely and the worst offender on the list, but there are other possibilities that people might have been messing around with ... and most of those other possibilities aren't great to have in your food, either.

"Nope, no Martians under this rock. Try the next one."

She probably grabbed the necklace, too, so you're shit out of luck.

Hm... Is that just because of the type of users who use macs, or is it an indictment of Mac OS's file management user friendliness?

(continuation)

22: Then it's time to work on the girth strap. This can be tricky, because it's constricting and uncomfortable, and because they won't want their belly being touched. Start very gradually, just by touching them with it, lightly placing it in place, etc. Don't fasten it yet. Give them plenty of practice with an unfastened girth strap being in place and even applying some pressure with it. But you do not want to actually fasten it and tighten it down until they're fully ready to accept it. Because once you fasten it, it's not going to come off easily, and if they freak out at that point, they'll be very freaked out about this thing following them around everywhere. You want to avoid that traumatic experience and only have good experiences with it, so make sure they're extremely comfortable with the girth strap before you try actually fastening it and tightening it down.

23: Then the bridle, which will be the same as the halter, except with the extra step of getting them to open their mouth and let the bit in. That will require some additional patience, but it's usually not actually that bad as long as you take it slow and take care never to push them faster than they're willing to go.

24: Once they're comfortable wearing a saddle and bridle, you can work on mounting. Again, a gradual process. You don't just jump on -- they'll instinctively think someone jumping on their back is a predator trying to kill them. So instead, you take it very slow and gradually. First just a hand resting on their back -- you should have already done that in Step 13, so they should already be comfortable with it. Then resting an arm on their back, then leaning on their back, then both arms on their back, then laying your chest and arms over their back, then putting a little weight on, then raising a foot, then putting a foot in the stirrup, then putting a little pressure on the stirrup, then kind of hopping up and down on the stirrup, then lifting yourself high enough without fully mounting yet, then swinging your other leg around, then (finally) actually getting on and sitting on top. You know the drill -- if they freak out, Step 3; if they do good, reward them with a break. There should not be any 'bucking bronco' or theatrics. If you've done this gradually enough, they should put up with it pretty easily and not try to fight it or get you off of them. (If they're still bucking a little even after being very gradual and gentle, check that the saddle fits properly and comfortably. Even a fully trained horse may buck if the saddle is pinching them.)

25: At this point, you can start training them to ride. Much like training to be led around, this is a matter of applying pressure and then rewarding them with a release of the pressure when they do what you want, with 'go forward' and 'stop' being the first priorities to learn, closely followed by turning. Practice those basics for a good long while before you try anything fancy like 'walk backwards' or 'side-step'.

26: And then you're well on your way. Where you go from there will depend on exactly what kind of riding you want to do, and there starts to be too many different possibilities to get into here. And, anyway, at this point, it's pretty much the same as training any already-trained horse to do the specific things you're interested in doing.

It sounds like a lot, I know. And it kind of is. But this process can work a lot better than you might imagine. Look for those signs from Step 4! That's the most important thing, and that's what will always be telling you when the horse is ready for the next step.

There are a lot of steps here and some of them can take a long time sometimes, sure ... but it isn't necessarily as long as it sounds! I've seen guys using this method take a wild-caught mustang and calmly ride them out of the round pen in just a matter of hours! (Don't rush things, though, especially if you're a beginner! Take all the time you need. And -- more importantly -- take all the time the horse needs.)

Okay, first of all, you're going to need tall fences. Mustangs are accustomed to jumping over fences to get around. I've heard of mustangs jumping 8ft fences like it was nothing. (Or, rather than building massively tall fences, you could try building double fences ~ 6ft apart from each other. Having no safe and clear landing zone on the other side should discourage jumping. Besides that, your best friend here will be a round pen. It really needs to be a round pen -- that keeps them running in circles if they're in a flighty mood, with no corners to hide in or feel cornered in.

Then you just need to learn how to speak horse, which is 100% body language.

1: Get the mustang into the round pen somehow or some way, whether that's from backing up the horse trailer directly against the entrance of it, herding them in there by leaving it as the only open path for them to run, luring them in there with food or other horses, etc.

2: Let them just chill in there for a bit. Give them food and water (and let them see you doing it, so they know you're the food-giver). Just watch from a distance and give them time to calm down and get used to the new surroundings. (Basically, wait until they stop running in circles -- that's going to be a running theme -- and give them a chance to eat and drink a bit before doing anything else.)

3: Calmly and slowly walk into the center of the round pen. Once there, if the horse isn't already running, wave your arms or a rope around a little to get them running in a circle again.

4: Continually turn and face them, watching them run in a circle around you. You need to be watching them very closely, waiting for some subtle signs: a slight slowing of their pace, turning their ear toward you with a more relaxed angle. It's very important that you wait for those signs and respond to them quickly when they show up. These signs mean the horse is looking for permission/forgiveness/acceptance from a potential herdmate. Being able to recognize these signs for what they are is the most important part of this whole process.

5: When you see those signs, you stop turning to face them, take a step backward, stop watching them, and instead stand calmly and still, looking away from them, not paying attention. If you read the signs right, the horse will probably stop running, likely behind you where you can't see them.

6: Give the horse a few minutes to rest and breathe. Just stand there.

7: When ready, turn to face the horse again. If the horse immediately starts running again, repeat from Step 3 until they don't anymore. (It will get easier and easier as they tire themself out and don't want to run anymore.) If the horse doesn't run, proceed further.

8: Once you're able to face the horse and look at them without them running away, take a moment and just enjoy that. Take a step backward, and then another long moment to reflect and rest. (Moving away is what the horse wants you to do at this point -- this is how you reward desired behavior.)

9: Try taking a small, slow step toward the horse. This will probably cause them to run again. Which means you go back to Step 3 and repeat yet again. If they don't run, proceed further.

10: Take another step, and another. Keep getting as close as the horse will let you before running away. Repeat from Step 3 every time they run. (It will usually start going much faster and easier over time as the horse begins to understand what's going on here.)

11: When the horse eventually lets you get within arm's reach without running, do not immediately try to touch them! Everything has to be done super-gradually, which means you're going to start by just moving your hand slightly, then raising your arm slightly, then coming a little closer, then almost touching them, before you finally touch. Each time they allow you to make a little progress without running, you reward them by backing off a little and giving them some space. Each time they run, you repeat from Step 3.

12: Beginning around this time, the horse might offer to sniff your nose. This is horse language for 'hello, who are you?' and 'would you like to be in my herd?/can I be in your herd?' If they do this, you should stand very still and calmly and breathe back at them through your nose as they sniff you. This is how you accept them into your 'herd', which should really help make them more comfortable with you and more willing to do what you want.

13: Once you're able to touch them without them running away, you start gradually working up to more touching in more different places. For now, avoid: A) their eyes and ears, especially anything that covers them up and blocks their view of the world; B) their hooves -- mustangs are often very sensitive about their hooves, even after long training -- a wild horse's life depends on their hooves being in good shape, and they know it; C) under their belly or under their tail -- sensitive, vulnerable areas that they'll be very concerned about protecting from a potential predator. Once again, any time they run, repeat the entire process from Step 3. (Although, by this point, you may be able to skip some steps, because they'll likely allow you to approach pretty close already without even trying to run.)

14: Once they're comfortable with being touched pretty much anywhere, it's time to start halter training. Go get a halter that would fit, along with a lunge line long enough to span half the round pen, and repeat from Step 3 while holding the halter. Repeat all the way up to steps 11 and 13, except instead of trying to touch with your hands, you try to touch them with the halter. Don't try to put it on immediately, just try to get them to look at it, sniff it, and let you touch them with it without freaking out and running. You get the routine by now -- if they run, repeat from Step 3. If they do what you want, reward them by backing off and giving them a little break.

15: Once you're able to rub the halter all over the horse's face without freaking them out, you can work on actually putting the halter on. Again, it's a gradual process. One little micro-step at a time, backing off to reward them every time they tolerate it, going back to Step 3 every time they run. By the time you actually buckle the halter in place, you will have partially put it on and taken it off dozens of times.

16: Once the halter is on, you can begin working on being able to lead them around. Start with a very gentle pull on the lead rope. If they fight it, keep up the same consistent pressure -- don't pull harder, don't stop pulling. As soon as they show the slightest sign of giving in and moving the direction you pulled, you reward them by releasing the tension and giving them a moment to rest and think. If, for some reason, they try to run at this point, you of course repeat from Step 3 ... but this time with a lunge line. That's why it's important that the lead rope be long enough to reach from the center of the round pen to the outside edge.

17: Continue working on leading and following direction: apply pressure in the direction you want them to go, reward them for going that way by releasing the pressure; punish them for resisting by keeping the pressure on. (Consistent pressure, not increasing pressure! Don't fight them over it or turn it into a tug-of-war! Just -- as best as you can -- keep up constant, moderate pressure, never changing until they finally give in and do what you want. Let them pull you backwards if necessary, but keep that constant pressure on until they go forwards again, then you reward them by releasing the pressure.) Most horses seem to take to this very naturally and easily, so it's usually not too much of a struggle, especially if you're good about rewarding/punishing with that pressure/tension on the rope.

18: At this point, they're largely 'halter broke', and if you're confident with that, it's time for a little test: time to release them into a slightly larger pasture (not too large, in case it goes badly). Maybe give them a break to rest if you're not in a hurry, a good time to stop for the day and come back tomorrow if it's getting late. When you're ready to continue training, it's time for the test -- can you approach them, catch them, and put the halter on, all in an open pasture where they could easily avoid you if they tried? If they do run from you (and they likely might), you should be able to repeat the same steps from Step 3 onward, even in the larger pasture, and doing so will likely work and get them to calm down and let you put the halter on.

19: At this point, it starts to depend what you want to do with them, what you want to train them for. For riding, that means saddle and bridle training next, which is what I'll assume. If you want them to pull a cart or a plow or something instead, that would require different work. Or maybe you're happy enough with just 'halter broke' and that's all you wanted. And there's always training for specific things -- like loading into a trailer, getting hooves trimmed/shod, etc -- that will need to be specifically addressed on their own.

20: The next step is getting them used to the saddle blanket. You do this much like the halter: first letting them sniff/look at it, then touching them with it, gently placing it on their back, etc, etc. As always, repeat from Step 3 if they freak out and run.

21: Then you do the same thing with the saddle (hopefully an older saddle you don't care about getting scuffed/dirty in case they buck it off, but still one that fits them well). Gradually get them accustomed to it. Gradually work up to placing it on their back. Repeat from Step 3 if they freak out.

(continued)

The skunk is definitely a poison type.

Then why are they still working for microslop?