Draxon

Normally, I do my best to avoid involving myself in online discussions which have a propensity to become inflammatory.  However, when the topic is related to public health, such as in this conversation, I feel compelled to offer a counterargument.  Here is a recently published article relating the findings of studies investigating the possible health effects of e-cigs:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/vaping-linked-host-new-health-risks

I should warn everyone to take the title of the article with a grain of salt.  As the article itself states, it's still unknown definitively what sort of health risks are associated with vaping.  But, shocking titles are more likely to grab attention, so there it is.

That said, give the article a read.  According to the studies, there may be a host of health effects associated with vaping, even in the absence of nicotine.  One thing the article does not state (but which may be indicated in the research articles themselves) is the identity of the e-cig liquids used in the study, which means that it's possible that these adverse health effects are an isolated phenomenon exclusive to those particular products.  On the other hand, if that were the case, it raises some questions about manufacturing standards for e-cig products, or their authenticity.

If the studies are a faithful representation of e-cigs in general, then it would be unwise to consider them a risk-free alternative to smoking.  As the article states, however, it may still be a better choice than smoking itself.  For now, this is all speculation, since more research is required to draw any sort of substantial conclusion.  But my point is that it is far too early to decide that vaping is a safe, or indeed safer, alternative to smoking.  There is insufficient research to support the truth one way or the other.

For my own part, I have thought about vaping, and think I would actually enjoy it, but ultimately I decided to wait until health studies were performed and I knew for sure what I was getting into.  It's not something I want to wake up and regret one day - my own grandfather died of lung cancer from smoking.

I'm not really in the habit of posting gifs, but here are a couple of funny ones I have on my computer:

I watched the first half of season one online, got hooked, and then started buying them.  If I like something, I prefer to support it if I can.  Plus, the episodes on iTunes are really high quality.

I once said that I hated MLP to the boys on my school class and they ALL agreeded. So I only talk about MLP with the girls there. My school is full of sexists, ew.

 

It isn't really a embarassing moment, but WOULD be a embarassing moment if a boy there heard me talking about MLP.

That doesn't necessarily mean that all of them hate MLP, or actually that none of them like it.  Maybe there is someone among that group who likes the show but felt uncomfortable disagreeing with everyone else.  In fact, if that were true, then they'd think that you hate the show just like all of their friends, and would never talk about it when you're around.  That's why it's important to just be open about liking something instead of trying to cover it up.  And to call them sexist based on that episode is plain wrong.

"Me not working hard?
Yeah, right! Picture that with a Kodak
Or, better yet, go to Times Square
Take a picture of me with a Kodak"

*bangs head against wall*

I have Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie.  I've heard from others that their limbs break very easily, but I don't really play with mine.  They're really nice except for the breakable limbs, and the fact that Pinkie Pie is so top heavy with her huge mass of hair that she can't stand up without leaning on something.

Mostly, it's a day on which many of my friends are unavailable.  I guess you could say it's an annual virtually guaranteed day to myself, and that ain't bad.

Always look on the bright side of life...

I've been distracted all weekend, and it's been nearly impossible for me to do my homework.  I think what I need is a day off with a friend.  One might be coming for a visit next weekend; if so, that'll be the first friend who's come for a visit in eighteen months.

As much as I love Sunset Shimmer, her reformation at the end of the first Equestria Girls was so sudden, and her personality was so much different in the next couple of movies, that it was like another, completely different character gained possession of her body.  Her reformation was similar to that of Nightmare Moon, in that they both involved the Elements of Harmony and were quite sudden, but Nightmare Moon had been banished for a thousand years, and the part of her that was still Luna had a long time to think things over.  Sunset Shimmer was instantly reformed with only a moment to think about what she had done.

I found a really great article detailing the challenges involved in the design, manufacture, and construction of the stellarator:

http://phys.org/news/2016-02-plasma-physicist-discusses-wendelstein-x.html

The tolerances involved are absolutely insane, not to mention the stresses placed on the machine during operation.  It takes a special team of innovative, dedicated, and persistent people to put a project like this together and make it work.

Successful nuclear fusion would be a gigantic leap forward, so this is exciting news.  I do agree with Mesme Rize, though, in that the big fossil fuel corporations would see this as a threat.  To be fair, it is, and a lot of people would lose their jobs if suddenly fossil fuels were obsolete (except probably petroleum for automobiles).  Let's hope nuclear fusion can still become a reality in spite of the resistance that's sure to arise.

Yep, that helps when I'm feeling down.  Especially lately, when I've been so isolated from my friends, I've ended up watching Amending Fences quite a few times.  That's my favorite episode.

Totally.  But only in Equestria, and if EQG is any indication, a human traveling to Equestria would transform anyway.  Not that I would not do so if there were no transformation, but it would come much more naturally that way.

PONIES.  Also, theology and philosophy.

But mostly ponies

I tend to call anything like that outside the Star Wars universe a laser sword.  Lightsaber just seems like a very Star Wars-specific designation to me.

I was really sad when I heard that Alan Rickman died.  Then one of my friends posted this picture on Facebook and I felt a little bit better.

I'm currently reading A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. for one of my clubs on campus.  I'm a little over halfway done, and I'm really enjoying it.  It's a story from the post-apocalyptic world from the perspective of monks trying to preserve the knowledge almost completely destroyed after the bombs fell.

After I finish it, I have one other book to read for the club, Neuromancer by William Gibson, which is said to be the first cyberpunk novel.  I've read it once before, but it's really trippy, so I'm hoping certain things make more sense a second time around.

That guy sounds like a jerk.  But no, you can't tell if someone is a virgin just by their appearance or mannerisms.  People usually don't change their behavior once they experience sex for the first time.  If they did, I would have noticed changes in many people I've known.  I'd like to add that if someone gets embarrassed when sex comes up in conversation, that doesn't mean they're a virgin, either.  Maybe they just don't like to talk about that sort of thing.

The last three movies I watched were all Star Wars Episode VII.

          These are the fandoms in which I've been active:

• Brony
• Furry
• Star Wars
• Code Lyoko
• Star Trek

          Currently, I'm only really active in the brony community.  It's the one I've been most passionate about, and I'd say the runner up is Code Lyoko.  Unfortunately, it seems like that community mostly dissolved over the years, which is a shame.  I'd like to find fans of the series again.

          I'm also considering beginning to get into the Metalocalypse and Nerdfighter fandoms.  I was only just introduced to the concept of Nerdfighters (very new subscriber to John and Hank Green on Youtube), and I've been a fan of Metalocalypse since the beginning.  I'm not sure which show I like better: My Little Pony or Metalocalypse.  That's kind of weird when you think about it.

 

Somewhere out in the Unknown Regions, Thrawn was probably headdesking over the chronic impracticality of all his superiors.

 

The aptly named Max Payne.  Never again.

I actually really love that video because it's so funny.  I think it's just satirical and not meant to be an attack on bronies, so I can appreciate the humor.  Some people seem to take it too seriously, though, including both bronies and non-bronies.

Than there was a much much stranger dream ( which i tried to write as a fanfic once, but everyone hated it, so.... ) .I was Pinkie Pie who moved to a new town.

Soon after i arrived at my new House, i saw a few strange things. I saw a few metal doors who locked strange and some sort of reception, so i assumed my house was some sort of factory building. I found a few documents and tried to read them on the balcony.

A trap activated, and i fell trough the ground. After i woke up, i ended up in some sort of basement, a rusty, very old looking giant basement with lots of floors, doors and different rooms.

It kinda looked like a Silent Hill Otherworld. I got scared, saw a few wheelchairs with dead ponys in it, got attacked by a smiledog like pony and got knocked out.

Then i woke up, tied to a metal plate and i was a prize at some weird Tv Show.

It turned out, that the weird place i was in, was a meat factory and i should get killed in front of an audience, unless someone wants to save me and keep me as a prize.

 

Right before i almost died, because nobody came to help me, Spiderman appeared, and was swinging trough all the traps with me and we both escaped.

Than a few Human on Tron Bikes tried to capture as, but Spiderman dodged them all and shot them down with some sort of weird gun.

Than after we escaped again, i ran very fast to my house, because somehow i knew, that Twilight and my Friends were keeping a " Welcome to your new Home " party at my house. Weirdly enough it was a grill party.

I told Twilight how scared i was and told her, that the meat their were eating was from Ponys from a Factory.

Twilight seemed concerned and run away to maybe...i dont know...explore for her self? Try to find evidence?

Than i think Rarity said, i should relax now, because im save at the party and offered me a soft drink and a Hamburger.

 

Than i woke up.   ( sorry for bad english )

I don't care what anyone says, that's an awesome dream.