Here is my fifth entry for this awesome game from @matkodurko.
This initiative is simple - what have I learned recently?
Over the past few days I learned:
No. 1 - Intellicast has merged with Weather Underground
I had wondered previously when my bookmark got screwed up when I was using Windscribe once (which tells pages that I'm in the UK if I need that.) But now, it's official.
I loved the old Intellicast map and used it regularly, especially in the stormier months when I used it to track severe thunderstorms. I'm working on liking the Weather Underground map - and it's not too bad except that it doesn't auto-update, so it will be much harder to track active storms, especially when I also have to redo several of my settings... I hope they improve it further.
No. 2 - The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) may end up gaining a few more BDO players. (update)
The results are in. Although Scott Waites (runner-up this year) did not receive a tour card, several British Darts Organisation players did including Conan Whitehead and Glen Durrant (the champion.) Their tour cards last for two years and are automatically renewed for the top 64 players in the PDC.
No. 3 - Wrong Research on Google = "No-fly list"
Thankfully, it wasn't from my own experience that I learned this (well, as far as I know anyway...) But someone on Twitter was talking about some of the things they have to research for their writing - including some interesting "recipes" from an infamous "cookbook" that some people enjoy talking about.
As writers, we do end up looking up bizarre things fairly frequently. (Someone once asked about the smell/taste of blood, lol.) More on that in a moment...
BTW, switch your search to DuckDuckGo - who doesn't track you or anything. There's even an extension for Chrome.
No. 4 - Life span of egg and sperm (another writing thing)
Many of the leya-sensitives in my A'mara Books are able to detect the leya imprint (aura) of a newly-conceived life. Hence, these numbers are actually pretty important for me. No longer do they have to wait weeks to learn of their created life. Anyway...
An egg can live 12-24 hours (I'm not sure what it depends on, but that part is a little less important for my writing.)
A sperm can reach the egg in as little as 45 minutes, though for purposes of trying to get pregnant, you need to allow 9-12 hours. That sperm, however, can live from 3 to 5 days depending on conditions. (Important if you're trying to avoid pregnancy naturally.)
https://www.babymed.com/conception/how-long-does-egg-live
https://www.justanswer.com/medical/24dk1-long-does-sperm-fertilize-egg.html
No. 5 - Sword injuries and related
I had to kill off a bad guy today... and needed some further information.
A shaze is a blazing sword (not flames, but definitely sparks and heat). So, I looked at both the effects of getting hit with a sword as well as what would happen if the wound was cauterized. I also had to look at what might cause the man to die on the spot, especially if the wound was cauterized, and therefore he's not "exsanguinating" (or bleeding to death - awesome word, huh?)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exsanguination
Firstly, sword wounds are really nasty! Without quick attention, it's pretty easy to hit an artery and exsanguinate. (That really is an awesome word for a nasty thing.) Take a look at the next link for more info (but there are really graphic pictures about halfway down the page, so be mindful!)
https://www.netvike.com/wounds-from-combat.html
Secondly, cauterizing of wounds is a bad option much of the time. Okay, it prevents someone from exsanguinating, but it tends to cause problems of its own, mainly in the 2nd and 3rd degree burns - which sometimes cause infection. Not a great option, but it's part of a shaze wound (and light-sabers, I'm sure you know.)
http://themedicinejournal.com/articles/does-cauterizing-a-wound-really-work/
So, what does my person die from if he doesn't bleed to death? (Since his wound is cauterized.)
I suspect that this person actually dies from a shock-induced heart attack. It's a strangely difficult thing to research because you can't just look up how to kill off characters semi-realistically, especially when you have fictitious weapons involved.
I think that's going to be it this week.
Even if you're not entering the contest (why not?) what have you learned this week?
Crossposted at Steemit, Whaleshares, WeKu
Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
verified author on Goodreads
find me on Twitter
also on: Whaleshares, WeKu
Banner by @shai-hulud
