Gene Splicer PHD

First, let's define very, very basic terms. Gender means (very loosely) "a societal construct that defines the roles that males and females play in society". Gender is in the mind. It is not a physical thing. Sex is your physical, er, sex. If you're born male, you were born with a penis, if you're female, you're born with a vagina. Very basic. Cisgender (or CIS) means "my gender matches my body" - i.e. I have a male body, and I know I am male. Transgender (or trans) means "my gender does not match my body", i.e. I have a male body, and I know I am female. There is an "otherness" that being trans carries with it. It's different than being gay. It's different than being straight. You can be straight and trans. Or gay and trans. Or bi and trans. Its not a sexual orientation, it's an identity, and more importantly, it's a wrongness in your core identity. You know how you maybe never "fit in" with a group at school or work? Imagine not being able to "fit in" - to yourself, let alone an outside group. It can be pretty isolating. Most people, being CIS, simply don't get it. We can't. It's like seeing what's behind your own head without turning around. So, a transgendered person is isolated, very privately, by the idea that they're in the wrong kind of body. And when a trans person comes out (i.e. starts to dress as their proper gender, wants people to use their preferred pronouns), that isolation becomes very public. And often turns right into oppression. Imagine what it would be like to walk into a mens room as a trans person who is transitioning to their proper gender - wearing right-gendered clothing and hairstyle, and have the people in it stare at (or beat up) the "girl", or walk into a womens room and get the same treatment. Or meet someone special and have to discuss your penis, which may not be there in a couple of months. Or have to tell your wife that she is going to have...a wife in a year. Or that you'll probably need to start shaving soon. And of course the misgendering that goes on when a trans person comes out and wants to be referred to by their preferred pronouns, and people refuse to do that. So the trans community is very small, and very misunderstood, and complicated, and isolated. CIS folks see it as very mysterious, and weird, and "wrong". Even within the LBGT community, they get the most crap from society. It's a pretty oppressed group. And they can be, I think appropriately, pretty pissed off. Some within the trans community can be pretty radical with their anger. Now, within the wider, non-radical trans community, I don't think "CIS" is used to make a claim for superiority. It's used to claim equality. It's used as a way to help people who are not trans, see that transgendered people are a group, just like any other group. Within the trans community, saying "I am trans and you are CIS", I am claiming that trans is equal to CIS. The superiority you see, and the use of CIS as a slur, comes from the more radical segments of the "social justice" movement (as seen on Tumblr). Within these segments, CIS is used to categorize non-trans people into a separate group which has "privilege" over non-transgendered people. In some groups I've seen (and this is a growing trend) it's even expanded to include straight people, usually white people, and often, males. By being in that group, you are considered to be oppressing others. Which is, of course, very confusing and oppressive in and of itself, because "social justice" is supposed to be about being inclusive of everyone, and most often, I see debates/arguments/conversations devolve into exclusivity everywhere. CIS as an identity is not in and of itself a bad thing. It's just another label. When it is used to classify wide swathes of society or entire groups as "other" than another group, it becomes very divisive and confusing. TL;DR: CIS means "my gender matches my body", Trans means "it doesn't", and CIS when used as a slur means "check your privilege, white boy".

A wild stab: it looks like Cia edited it, and its gone from "in process" to "on hold", so there's that.

I think it could be fun for Will to nail a random older dude, have the hookup find Will's school ID and flip his shit because he just nailed a minor

iPad and iPhone share the same OS. Apps for iOS run on either device. Mac OS is different, although there are some common features among all three, i.e. iCloud, Mac OS is a fully fleshed out PC operating system, like Windows.

I have a crusty little Iphone 4. That's right, screw your "modern technology", it's 2010 FOREVER over here

Well when I got diagnosed, it became my responsibility to manage myself. That's why I tell close friends. I can't control my emotional state very well sometimes, but I can sure try to manage my reactions and do what I can to not be in situations where things could escalate. That's the core of my "take five" behavior. I'm really glad I have the ability to do that.

I have been diagnosed as a very low-grade, high-functioning "aspie". It's not evident to people around me and in fact over the last couple of years - with some work - has pretty much stopped affecting me like it used to. It takes a lot of practice and I have to be very attentive to people and what they are saying, and then compare that to what their body language is telling me. I do have good friends who will also "fill in the gaps" if they think I'm misreading something someone is saying or doing. When I am tired or inattentive, I miss social cues, like when someone is angry or upset. I also can completely misunderstand why people are upset or even happy. I have trouble reading people's moods, and that can also lead to misunderstandings. When I get in situations where this causes problems, I get very stressed and nervous, which makes it worse. This happens when I don't know what to do to fix it, usually. Long ago, I would hold this in and then pop off at people or situations, and really overreact in some extreme ways. Rage was common, so was isolating and being an insufferable ass. Nowadays, it means I need to take five and regroup away from the situation for a while. I don't know where this kid sat with his diagnosis or treatment, and I'm sure I'm not anywhere near the level of extreme stress or antisocial behavior that consumed this guy. Still, I don't think that Aspergers is the issue here. It doesn't fit. Aspergers doesn't make you murder people. It makes you confused and mad - mostly at yourself. i think there have to be other factors aside from AS here. I don't think we will ever know what went on in this kids world to make him go off like he did. The whole thing is just sad and rotten.

Just got The Who's entire discography from a friend. Mamas got a squeezebox. Headphones rock.

I do post with some...regularity.

I don't have time to watch it right now, but is there anything in there about defibrillating myself? It's been a tough day.

Bad vapors? Did someone fart? Good chapter!

I murdered two nuns to get the last plow they had at Tractor Supply. I broke them of their BAD HABITS I'll see myself out

YEAH A GOAT FARM HAHAHA I'll get my coat

Yeah that had to be a dinner. Wonder how anyone had an appetite after all that

I want a review box at the bottom of every chapter, like efiction had. I'd be a lot more inclined to just drop words in a box about the chapter I've read if I could do that. That review could pop up on the reviews page for the story.

I think that spinning the individual studios that make up the Lucasfilms studios off into individual properties, to make or break on their own (employee owned, maybe?) would be far better for the industry than just adding the whole lot to Disney. They're smoking the tax breaks and insurance payoffs they get when movies lose money, of course.

Well it's not like Lucas has been setting the world on fire with SW 1,2,or 3. Lets face it, those movies were some world-class franchise milking right there. Which fits right in with the new owners. I'm quite happy to see Lucas turn the reins over to someone else, but not so happy that it's Disney.

A little tip from IT land - you don't prepare for disasters. You prepare for the effects of the disaster and the recovery from it. So - Winter storm and a hurricane combo: Prepare for: No power, limited mobility heat problems, probable property damage, maybe injured people - Have on hand for an extended period: non-spoilable foods, water, batteries, medicines/prescriptions, tarps, blankets and medical supplies - if you have a fireplace, stock up on wood, if you can get a generator, do it before the storm, and get plenty of gas for it - at least 25 gallons. - Go to the bank and get a decent amount of money - I keep about $1500 in cash in the house during the winter months if I can. - Get a battery powered radio or TV. Things to do - Move necessary prep and repair tools to hand - shovels, hammers, screw gun, nails/screws, plywood, road salt or sand, tarps and plastic sheeting, etc. - those tools don't do any good in the shed out back, move them to the house. - Charge all cell phones and batteries. Remove batteries from important devices when they aren't needed or power off the devices to keep the battery charge as long as possible. - Make sure the car has a good battery and a full tank of gas. - Put the valuables in a safe place. - Prepare the property - clear branches away from windows, clear the yard of anything that's going to blow around/away/into things when the winds hit, board up windows if you think the storm is bad enough, that sort of thing. It's all common sense stuff, really. My point is to prepare for the effects of a weather related disaster, no matter what it looks like, and you will be far better off than your typical neighbor.

Yeah, I'm along for the ride too. Occasionally I'll pop up with an opinion, but I just think Mark's writing is really good and the stories are really fun to read. I still think the Bacchante should show up and shell the beach house into gravel.

They get those scripts cheap, don't have to pay a crew very much - they don't have to be very talented, after all - and the script writers can kick them out quick because there's no thought at all about how it will translate to a tv screen. I agree with you a hundred percent, but they're not interested in quality or having an audience that actually thinks. They just want the content to be 'sticky' enough to keep the viewers watching the ads and soaking up the product placements. It's not like the current Syfy audience is one that you'd see at a lecture hall or owning a telescope. Their core audience thinks the Milky Way is a candy bar.

You can get all the aliens and science fiction you want, right over there on the History Channel, the Science channel, National Geographic Channel, and TLC. It's not like there aren't aliens. Just ask this guy.

This will only be relevant after they mount the lasers on the sharks heads. FRICKIN LASER BEAMS...

The US Canada Kenya Sudan Italy Japan S. Korea Vietnam Taiwan Thailand Singapore Hong Kong Oman Iraq Bahrain The Philippines Australia Coming up: Britain Ireland Germany The Netherlands Ohio

That had to be really hard to write. Well done. Reminded me of this: http://imgur.com/LaXQ4

Yep, good chapter. Can't wait until you have Gray set up a mortar/gun battery onshore and shell Atlantis/Kookaburra, sending them to the bottom with all aboard. Or an alternate ending, where the Australian Navy engages the boats in a battle to the death. Followed by the big reveal - Ned's been dreaming the whole thing and wakes up in a shower stall, with Shane in the bedroom saying things like "Bobby, are you okay?"