Just something I was wondering about.  I spent all last winter trying to heat my little office with a small ceramic heater and while it worked nice, it was noisy and once it cut off, the room quickly grew cold again. 

Then I discovered the joy of oil-filled radiator heaters.  I have 3 in my house now that I use to heat the rooms I spend the most time in: my office, game room, and bedroom.  They're from 3 different brands but all seem to work pretty good at quickly heating a room.  Oil-filled radiator heaters heat oil using an internal heating element and the oil flows through the coils and radiates heat out into the surrounding air via convection. 

The cons: 
Oil filled heaters take a while to heat up and to heat a space.

They tend to be rather expensive to buy up front compared to other heater types.


The pros:
Oil filled heaters are very energy efficient.  Once they heat up to the desired temperature, they shut off and only turn on again to quickly reheat the oil.  They're very budget-friendly to run.

The oil holds heat for a long time, meaning that temperatures in the room stay consistent. 

These heaters have no fan, so they're virtually silent. 

Anyone played Spirit of the North?  It's an indie game that was released back in 2019.  There's no dialogue in the game and only a very simple story, but the graphics, game world, and background music are all stunningly beautiful.  The game is about a fox exploring the ruins of an ancient Nordic civilization based on Iceland.  There's a lot of magic and puzzle solving and the game is similar to Okami, Fallen Ember, and Journey.  Here's the gameplay trailer.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o92pyx2WTuk

My latest writing project, a novelization of the classic 1996 point-and-click adventure game "Titanic: Adventure Out of Time", the game that launched my lifelong fascination with the RMS Titanic.  It centers around a disgraced former Secret Service agent who failed a mission aboard the Titanic, which had far-reaching consequences.  Thirty years later, they are given a second chance by unseen forces to go back in time and complete their mission.  Success could mean world peace, and failure could leave the 20th century as bloody as ever, or even worse. 


Chapter 1: Forever Locked in Regret

10:55 am, April 14, 1942, London

 I found myself running through a ship’s corridor as water flooded in from all around me. The lights flickered and dimmed, and I heard low rumbling sounds all around me as the sinking ship began to tear itself apart.

 This isn’t real! I told myself. I’ve already lived through this! I already escaped the Titanic!

 “You may have escaped the Titanic, Carlson, but you will never escape from me.” said a cold voice I didn’t recognize.

 A man appeared before me, wearing a German military uniform. He had short brown hair and a thin mustache, and spoke with a thick German accent.

 “Who are you?” I demanded.

 The man sneered at me, pointing a finger at me. “I am your failure, Carlson! I haunt every moment of your wretched life!”

  “Get away from me!” I shouted as I ran up a flight of stairs and onto the deck of the rapidly sinking ship.

 In the next instant, I found myself immersed in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. I struggled to stay afloat in the frigid water. I spotted an overturned lifeboat and frantically swam toward it as the stern of the Titanic disappeared beneath the waves. As I reached the overturned lifeboat, the German man appeared once more, standing on top of it and grinning down at me.

 “Poor fool! Not so quick, are you? ” he taunted me. “I’m afraid this is the end for you, my friend. How does it feel knowing that you are responsible for the suffering and deaths of countless millions? Hmm? I’m amazed you haven’t put yourself out of your misery already. Perhaps you should have just gone down with the ship!”

 As I tried to grab the lifeboat, he stomped on my fingers, causing me to scream out in pain.

 “Now you can die knowing that your failure was my victory.” The man crowed with glee.

 He placed his boot on my forehead and forced my head underwater. The next thing I knew, something had caught my foot and was dragging me downward. As I was rapidly pulled down into the sea, I realized that a cable was wrapped around my leg. I was being dragged down with the stern of the Titanic! I tried to pull myself free but it was no use. I was being dragged down into the depths of the sea. Corpses floated past me as I sank lower and lower into the crushing black depths of the North Atlantic. There were hundreds of them! Some of them I knew. Others, I did not. There was no escape. I would die along with them. Darkness closed in and engulfed me as I sank deeper and deeper into the abyss.

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 I awoke to find myself lying in bed, relieved that it had only been a dream. With a sigh, I got up and got dressed to for the day. I frowned as I looked at a piece of stucco that had been jarred loose from the ceiling during the nightly air raids. By now I had grown so accustomed to the air raids that I usually just slept through them.

 

This building is falling apart. I thought to myself.

 

The run down, single room flat of 9 Stanley Crescent had definitely seen better days, much like myself. It had been my home ever since I was fired from the Secret Service nearly thirty years ago.

 

April 14th… I thought to myself, as painful memories came rushing back to me.

 I turned on the radio to listen to some music. I immediately heard a woman’s voice delivering a news broadcast instead.

 “And in today’s top stories, London has endured another night of German bombing. Most damage was concentrated in the east end.”

 

She went on to narrate all the terrible things happening in the world as the war raged on across the globe. I finally couldn’t listen any longer and turned the radio off.

 I made my way over to the fireplace where I had created a small shrine to the Titanic. A model of the ship was the centerpiece. On the left was a scrapbook I had put together. I took the scrapbook and turned to the first page, which depicted a newspaper headline.

 

“TITANIC SINKS! 1250 PERISH!”

 

Thirty years had passed since that fateful night. Thirty years since I had managed to scramble aboard collapsible lifeboat A after finding myself in the water. I had watched the magnificent ocean liner sink, and with it, my future. Ever since my failed mission and subsequent termination, I had struggled to get by, doing odd jobs here and there.

 I looked down at the copy of the book “Futility” by Morgan Roberts, sitting on the arm of my chair. I had been reading the book and though it was written in 1898, I was stunned by how the books’ events almost perfectly predicted the sinking of the Titanic. My makeshift bookmark was an old obituary from April 19th, 1912. Part of the text was visible sticking out from between the pages of the book.

 “Lord and Lady Lambeth have died in the Titanic disaster. The couple have been missing since the sinking and were not among the survivors rescued by the Carpathia.”

Why do I hold on to such things? I asked myself, placing the newspaper scrap back into the book.

 Georgia Lambeth, daughter of the Duke of Norwick, had been a former lover of mine. Though I had cared deeply for her, my duties with the Secret Service had forced me to cut all contact with her, much to my regret. Now she was gone, just yet another of my failures. Another life I failed to save.   

 Someone pounding on the door caught my attention, and I already knew who it was. Before I could say anything the door flew open and there stood my hideous hag of a landlady, Miss Belby, in all her horrid glory. With her ratty, faded grey hair, hooked nose, and several missing teeth, she certainly wasn’t a pleasing sight to see standing in one’s doorway.

 “Bout time you’re awake! You’re two weeks late with the rent!” she screeched at me.

 “I’m sorry, Miss Belby. I’ll get you the money.” I replied, though I knew it was an empty promise.

 “War or no war, a tenant in arrears is not a tenant I’ll put up with! You don’t pay by today, it’s the street! I promise!”

 

“Alright, I’ll get your money.” I calmly assured her once more, but she just scowled at me and threw my newspaper on the floor, along with what looked like an envelope.

 

“They said you was important! Not now!” she scowled at me with her soulless grey eyes.

“Now you’re just old! Old and broke!”

 

With that, she slammed the door, shaking the entire flat and jarring another piece of stucco loose from the ceiling.

 

“Hag!” I muttered as I went to retrieve my newspaper.

 I gazed at the headline. “NAZI BOMBERS HIT CITY. HEAVY DAMAGE IN DOCKLANDS.”

 

Accompanying the headline was a picture of the damage. I sighed, wondering if this was all just another consequence of my failure.

 I picked up the envelope that Miss Belby had thrown on the floor and I was surprised to find that it contained something round and heavy.

 

“I wonder what this could be?” I pondered, examining the envelope.

 “Frank Carlson, 9 Stanley Crescent, London, W11, England.”

 No return address.

 “Strange.” I whispered as I walked over to my desk to retrieve my letter opener.

 As I dug through one of the desk drawers, I saw a ticket to the airship Hindenburg. I briefly picked it up and examined it, frowning once more.

 I had worked as a private investigator from time to time, and the last job I was hired for involved tailing a wealthy woman’s husband as he traveled around Europe. He was scheduled to fly on the doomed airship, but cancelled his trip at the last minute, as did I. Though I was paid for my work, I never recovered the money I spent on the ticket, significantly reducing my profits from that job. 

 

As I continued to dig around in the drawer, I found an old letter. I picked it up and frowned as I read it.

 “10 August, 1914. His Majesty’s Government regrets to inform you that your services in the Office of the Secret Service are no longer needed. Termination to be effective immediately. With regrets, Commander T.S.D. Hipple.”

I tossed the letter back into the drawer, again asking myself why I kept such things. Finally I found my letter opener and opened my new envelope. I reached inside and was stunned as I retrieved an old gold pocket watch.

 “Impossible!” I uttered, staring at the gold watch.

 It had been gifted to me on the day I was accepted into the Secret Service. I opened the watch and a folded piece of paper fell onto my desk. I ignored it and stared at the rusty face of the watch, its hands stopped at 2:20 am, the exact time that the Titanic sank. It had been immersed in the water as I swam to collapsible A, and though I had always intended to repair it, I instead discarded it when the Service fired me.

Who could have mailed me this? Is this someone’s idea of a cruel prank? I thought as I stared at the broken watch. I heard Commander Hipple’s voice in my head.

“See here, this isn’t about your dedication! Pringle certainly attests to your loyalty. No, your dismissal stems from the Titanic mission. That failure can no longer be ignored, especially now. I am sorry, but someone must shoulder the blame. The Service, you understand. We can’t be held responsible.” 

 And shoulder the blame I did.  Failing my mission onboard the Titanic had far-reaching consequences, not only for myself, but for the entire civilized world. Wars, death, chaos… It was why the Service had fired me. Or perhaps they just needed a convenient scapegoat. Either way, I felt responsible. I tossed the watch onto the desk and picked up the piece of paper than had been folded inside of it. I unfolded it and saw words written on the paper.

 “The past, forever locked in regret. But what if the past could be changed?”

 “What is this nonsense?” I exclaimed out loud.

 My thoughts were interrupted as an air raid siren suddenly sounded outside. Though my first instinct was to run for shelter, I just sighed and hung my head. I had no more reason to run.

 This is the end, I suppose. I thought to myself as I heard aircraft engines overhead.

 The bomb must have exploded right outside my flat.  The wall exploded inward and I was thrown onto my back amidst the debris of my home. My whole body went numb and I saw flames engulfing the room around me. The building was beginning to crumble. I glanced over and saw my old watch lying beside me. But much to my surprise, the hands were moving once more. They were rapidly spinning counterclockwise. Then everything faded to black as I lost consciousness.

 Surrounded by darkness, I heard my own voice speaking to me.

"The past,  forever locked in regret. But what if the past could be changed?  Thirty years have come and gone since the night that saw the end of the world: my world. The Service needed someone on the Titanic. They chose me. I was to wait for a signal from my contact, so I remained in my cabin.  I left only once.  Georgia was on board.  And that's when it came. There'd be no second chance.  It was Sunday, April 14. Too late you see, for the Titanic. For me. What if I had met with my contact, preventing disaster?  What if the past could be changed? What then?"

To be continued...

Wasn't sure where to put this since it's from a game but here it is.  I don't know how to make it scale down so you'll probably have to right click and select "view image" to see the whole thing.  Anyway, I decided to go for a relaxing nighttime ride across the prairie and no sooner had I departed the ranch than this little Hell spawn decided to show up and ruin my evening.  Seriously, cougars are a-holes!  Caption away!

I wasn't sure where to post this but I guess it goes here. This is a place to share web animations.

I found this adorable little short on Youtube called "Sapling" and decided to share it.  I love gryphons and find them to be highly underrated.  Also the music was beautiful. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmLDta7pMs8

So this is just meant to be a thread for general coffee discussion.  What brands of coffee do you like the best?  What is your preferred brewing method?  What kind of roast/blend do you like?  What's your favorite type of creamer?

For me, I have a variety of coffee types I like.  For my drip coffee maker, I use either Maxwell House breakfast blend or Columbian.  I need to try the donut shop and house blends some day.  This is pretty much my go-to for "wake up and grab a cut of coffee with breakfast". 

For my French press, I use the Publix Premium (store brand but really good) French roast.  It always comes out strong and rich and makes a very enjoyable cup of coffee.  This is my afternoon "I could go for a good cup of coffee right now" coffee.

Then there's my espresso maker.  I use a Mr. Coffee brand espresso maker with a built in milk frother.  I don't drink Espresso just as coffee.  It's far too strong  I don't have a particular brand I prefer (last time I bought it I just used the Great Value brand from Walmart).  I only use it for making lattes/cappuccinos/mochas.  Also, the built in milk frother makes amazing hot chocolate.   

As for creamer, I almost exclusively use Coffeemate French vanilla. 

Anyone played the new Star Wars game that just came out?  Personally I was pleasantly surprised by it.  I was highly skeptical because EA's "Single Player Games Are Dead" attitude had bungled Battlefront and Battlefront 2 and their games in general haven't been all that great.  However, this one was actually done pretty good.  The gameplay involved a lot of puzzles, parkour, and exploration and the lightsaber combat is probably the best ever put into a Star Wars game. 

The characters are all likable and the story was pretty good too.  In fact it managed to subvert a lot of my expectations in a good way.  So yeah, we finally got the first decent Star Wars game since Lucasarts shut down.
 

Stan Lee, famous for helping to create some of the biggest comic book icons in history, including Spider-Man and the Avengers, has passed away.  https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/stan-lee-dead-95-185336633.html

"He's making a list.  He's checking it twice.  He's gonna find out who to put on ice.."

Found this creepy elf at the craft store.  Thought he'd  make for some good Halloween material.  I don't think they intentionally made him creepy but dang, look at that face!  That's the face of a killer, I tell ya!  Caption away!

 

Ok so here it is at long last.  This is my entry for the December fanfiction prompt.  Specifically this is a "snow fic" showing a younger Rigel during a happier, more innocent time in his life.

Also, here is some fitting music to go along with the story.  I listened to this while writing.  Open it in a new tab while you read or something.
Also, here is some fitting music to go along with the story.  I listened to this while writing.  Open it in a new tab while you read or something.
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Cool air filled the dark cave as the deinonychus awoke from a deep slumber.  With a tired yawn, the predator slowly opened his eyes and allowed them to adjust to the dim light inside his cave.  Slowly he got to his feet and stretched his achy muscles.  The raptor climbed out of the nest in which he had been sleeping and made his way to the cave entrance, his yellow eyes surveying the world outside.  The sky was a dark shade of pewter grey, just like the feathers that covered most of his body, with the exception of a stripe of red feathers that ran down his back, ending at the tip of his long tail.  Rigel smiled as he gazed out at the world before him.  A steady snow was falling, blanketing the world in dazzling white.  

At last… he thought silently to himself.

The first snowfall of the season was something that Rigel always looked forward to.  The cool brisk air and the crisp feeling of fresh snow under his feet offered a welcome change from the hard, dry soil and humid air he was used to.  The cold didn’t bother him.  He was well insulated beneath a layer of thick winter feathers, after all.   Rigel always cherished this time of the year.  He always looked forward to the pack gathering at night for warmth, telling stories by the moonlight, playing in the snow, and just having fun in general.
 
The young deinonychus cautiously made his way down the icy slope that led from his cave down to the valley below.  Upon reaching the bottom, the sickle claw paused, feeling the snow crunch beneath his feet.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the cold winter air fill his lungs.  

“Hey Rigel!” called a cheerful female voice nearby.  It was a voice he recognized well, belonging to his dear childhood friend.


Rigel turned his head and was greeted by the sight of a female of his kind, covered in feathers that were as white as the snow with a pair of blue stripes running down her back.  

“Rigel, you’ve gotta come see this!” exclaimed the female sickle claw as her brown eyes met his yellow eyes.

“Alright, but we’d better hurry.  We’ve got work to do.” Rigel said.

The female deinonychus darted off toward the woods nearby.

“Antares, wait up!” Rigel called after the female as she darted through the trees.

“Hurry up, slowpoke!” Antares playfully called back to him.

Rigel skillfully navigated the frozen ground, weaving between trees and leaping over fallen lags as he pursued Antares through the frozen forest.  Antares slowed down and allowed him to catch up.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked with a smile.

Rigel looked around and was stunned by the beauty that surrounded him.  Icicles hung from the frozen branches of the evergreen trees overhead, a breathtaking mix of stark white and comforting pine green.  The light danced and reflected off the ice in a dazzling display.  

“Indeed it is.” Rigel replied with a whisper.  

The two raptors walked slowly together through the forest, the snow crunching beneath their feet as they walked.  Their feathers protected them from the worst of the cold.  

Rigel continued to follow Antares deep into the woods.

“How much further is it?” he asked.

“Not far now..” Antares called back.  

They came to a stream that was still flowing.  Though the river carried chunks of ice with it, the water was moving too fast to freeze solid.

“Come on, this way!” Antares called excitedly, leaping up onto a fallen tree that spanned the stream.

“Be careful!” Rigel called after her.

One false move would sent either of them into the icy, rushing waters below where death was certain.  Antares, however, brushed off Rigel’s concerns.  She crossed a frozen river and leaped onto the bank on the opposite side.  She turned and stared at Rigel, waiting for him to cross behind her.

Well, here goes… Rigel thought to himself, leaping up onto the log.  Cautiously he made his way across, occasionally glancing at the rushing water.  Finally he two reached the other side and joined Antares.

“C’mon, this way!” Antares exclaimed, darting off through the woods again.

Rigel shook his head as he followed.  There was still work to be done and here they were wasting valuable time.  However, Rigel’s affection for Antares won out.  The two raptors followed the stream up a gentle hill until they came to the top.  

“There…” Antares smiled, pointing just head of her.

Rigel’s eyes widened in astonishment and awe at the sight before him.  As he stood beside Antares, he gazed up at a frozen waterfall that cascaded into a small lake which fed the river.  Rigel took a step forward and gazed down at the ice.  The ice was as smooth as glass and so clear that he could see straight to the bottom of the lake.  The deinonychus could see his reflection staring back at him, only for it to be joined moments later by Antares.

“Come on!” urged the female raptor, grabbing Rigel by the hand as she pulled him out onto the ice.

“Ant… wait!” he called out, sliding across the ice as Antares laughed.

Fortunately, the ice held their weight.  Antares skillfully navigated her way across the ice to the base of the frozen waterfall.  Rigel cautiously followed.  

“Ant, this is pretty and all, but we really need to head back.  They’re gonna have our hides if they catch us goofing off.”

“Ah, you worry too much.” Antares replied with a grin.  “Anyway, I wanted to ask you something.  

Rigel lifted an eye ridge.  

   “Rigel…”

The female deinonychus paused, looking Rigel in they eye.  She seemed to know what she wanted to say, but couldn’t seem to find the words.  For once in her life, Antares, the bold, adventurous huntress who always seemed to plunge headlong into everything, seemed unsure of herself.

For a moment Antares glanced away while Rigel waited patiently.  Finally she made eye contact with Rigel again, her brown eyes filled with a newfound confidence.

“Rigel, will you be my mate?”

The question took Rigel completely by surprise.  It was a question he wasn’t ready for.  Though Antares was a dear childhood friend, and though he felt great affection for her, Rigel had never expected her to propose to him.  However, the young raptor felt a warmth growing in his chest that brought a smile to his face as he gazed into her brown eyes.  

“Antares, I…”

Rigel struggled to find words.  His immediate reaction was to say ëyes’ but he couldn’t find the words.  

Come on!  Now is not the time to get butterflies in your stomach! He told himself.

“Yes…” he finally uttered, softly.

A smile appeared on Rigel’s face and he nuzzled Antares gently.  

“I love you.” Antares whispered, burying her face in the feathers on Rigel’s chest as he held her close.

A gentle snow fell around the two sickle claws as they embraced one another.  

“I love you too, Antares.” Rigel whispered.  “I’ll always be here for you.”

Antares hummed softly.  

“We really should be getting back though.” Rigel whispered.

“Alright, let’s go.” Antares replied, leading the way back home.

Rigel knew that his life would change forever.  He still wasn’t sure he was ready to commit to raising a family, but Antares would no doubt give him all the inspiration he needed.

That night, the two raptors curled up in Rigel’s nest, huddled together for warmth.  Snow continued to fall outside and the temperature had dropped, but neither of them noticed the cold.  

“Rest well, my love.” Antarus whispered, leaning her head against Rigel’s shoulder.  Rigel smiled and held her close.  

“Good night, Antarus.” He replied.

The two raptors drifted peacefully off to sleep, dreaming of their future together.