Lore Journal

Well even though this is in the Society category it's not about society at all. It's just another test to correct some code changes related to image uploads folks. Have a very nice day!

Hello folks this might be a little long-winded so please bear with me. I've been working on my books website for a couple of months now and most things have finally been completed. I found a business website template on a site called 'bootstrapmade'; the template is called Serenity and it took many hours working with Co-Pilot to get things modified to my liking. For instance it had no admin folder. So I first had to build (with Co-Pilots help), all of the files needed for an admin Dashboard interface. It was a daunting task but finally got finished to a usable point. When I see the need I still add admin control stuff. It has been an incredible experience working with Co-Pilot. I have learned so much that I didn't know before. Anyway that's enough boring dialogue for you to endure.

👁️ Reclaiming Sight: The Rise of Bionic Vision

Imagine a world where blindness is no longer a life sentence. Thanks to groundbreaking innovations in bionic eye technology, that vision is rapidly becoming reality. With nearly 95% of recipients reporting restored visual perception, this medical marvel is reshaping what’s possible in the realm of sight restoration.

🔬 From Sci-Fi to Surgical Suite

Once the stuff of futuristic fiction, bionic eyes—also known as visual prosthetics—are now surgically implanted devices that help individuals with severe vision loss perceive their surroundings. These systems rely on a tiny camera that captures visual data, which is then translated into electrical impulses. These impulses stimulate the remaining functional cells in the retina, allowing the brain to interpret light, shapes, and movement.

⚙️ The Tech Behind the Transformation

The success of bionic vision hinges on several key technological leaps:

  - Microelectronics have become small and powerful enough to fit inside the human eye.

  - Wireless transmission systems now deliver data seamlessly from external cameras to internal implants.

  - Precision surgical methods enable safe and effective implantation.

One standout example is the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, which has set a benchmark for what bionic vision can achieve.

🧠 How Sight Is Reconstructed

The procedure begins with the insertion of a retinal implant—a microchip designed to convert light into neural signals. These signals are relayed to an artificial retina, which mimics the function of the damaged one. From there, the optic nerve carries the information to the brain, allowing the patient to perceive basic visual cues like contrast, outlines, and movement.

📈 Real Results, Real Lives

Clinical outcomes have been nothing short of astonishing. A vast majority of patients report improved vision, with some able to read large text or recognize familiar faces. One particularly moving case involved a 72-year-old man who had lived in darkness for over ten years due to retinitis pigmentosa. Post-surgery, he could distinguish objects and navigate light and shadow—a profound shift in his daily experience.

💬 Voices of Transformation

The emotional impact of restored sight is immeasurable. One woman shared the joy of seeing her grandchildren for the first time. Another man described the newfound freedom of shopping independently. These stories underscore how even partial vision can dramatically enhance autonomy, confidence, and connection.

🚀 What’s Next for Bionic Vision?

While current results are impressive, researchers believe we’re only scratching the surface. Future iterations of bionic eyes may offer sharper resolution, color perception, and broader applications. There’s hope that this technology could eventually address other conditions like macular degeneration and glaucoma, expanding its reach across the field of ophthalmology.

Bionic eye technology isn’t just restoring sight—it’s restoring lives. As science continues to push boundaries, the dream of universal visual access inches closer to reality.

Twice a year, millions of people adjust their clocks—springing forward and falling back—as part of a ritual known as Daylight Saving Time (DST). But what began as a wartime energy-saving measure has evolved into a modern debate over sleep, productivity, and public health. So what’s the real story behind this temporal tug-of-war? For 2025 DST ends on Sunday November 02, 2025 at 02:00am.

🌅 A Brief History of Borrowed Light

Daylight Saving Time was first widely adopted during World War I, when Germany and its allies sought to conserve fuel by maximizing daylight hours. The United States followed suit in 1918, though the practice was repealed and reinstated multiple times over the decades. It wasn’t until the Uniform Time Act of 1966 that DST became standardized across most of the country.

Today, DST begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. But not everyone participates—Hawaii and most of Arizona opt out, citing minimal benefits and local preferences.

🧠 The Science of Sleep and Circadian Chaos

While DST was originally designed to save energy, modern studies suggest the impact is minimal. Instead, researchers have turned their attention to its effects on human health. The abrupt shift in time can disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to:

- Increased risk of heart attacks and strokes in the days following the spring shift

- Higher rates of workplace and traffic accidents

- Sleep deprivation and reduced cognitive performance

In short, losing an hour of sleep isn’t just annoying—it can be dangerous.

🔄 The Push to Permanence

In recent years, momentum has grown to eliminate the biannual clock changes. Lawmakers in several states have proposed bills to make DST permanent, citing benefits like:

- More evening daylight for recreation and commerce

- Reduced confusion and disruption

- Potential improvements in mental health and well-being

However, federal law currently prohibits states from adopting permanent DST without congressional approval. The Sunshine Protection Act, introduced in Congress, aims to change that—but it remains stalled in legislative limbo.

🕰️ So… Should We Keep It?

Daylight Saving Time is a relic of a different era, one that no longer aligns with our modern energy usage or sleep science. Whether we choose to keep it, ditch it, or make it permanent, one thing is clear: time is a powerful force, and how we shape it shapes us in return.

The Golden Age of computing wasn’t just about silicon and syntax, it was about discovery, friction, and the thrill of making machines speak your language. Commodore BASIC was a rite of passage for so many of us who learned to think like the machine while still dreaming mythically.

🕰️ Why Commodore BASIC Was So Transformative

- Direct Hardware Access: You weren’t abstracted away from the machine—you talked to the chips. POKE and PEEK weren’t just commands; they were incantations that let you manipulate memory, graphics, and sound, directly.

- 6502/6510 Assembly Echoes: Even though BASIC was high-level, it sat right atop the 6502/6510 architecture. You could feel the pulse of the processor in every loop and delay.

- Immediate Feedback Loop: Type a line, hit RETURN, and the machine responded. That instant ritual of command and reaction taught debugging, logic, and patience.

- Resource Constraints as Creative Fuel: With just 64KB of RAM, you learned to optimize, reuse, and ritualize your code. Every byte mattered. Every line had weight.

- The Joy of Making It Work: Whether it was a sprite animation, a text adventure, or a synthesized voice via SAM(Software Automatic Mouth, the satisfaction of coaxing behavior from bare metal was unmatched.

🧙‍♂️ Mythic Echoes in BASIC

You weren’t just programming—you were summoning. The machine was a familiar, and your code was a spell. Even the quirks of the language (line numbers, GOTO loops, memory maps) felt like glyphs in a living archive.

If you ever want to revisit that era, emulators like 

<a href="https://www.rarityguide.com/articles/articles/25/1/Academy-BASIC-101---Introduction-to-Commodore-BASIC-and-Programming-Languages/Page1.html" target="_blank">VICE</a> 

let you boot up a virtual C64 and write in Commodore BASIC again. Or you can browse the 

<a href="https://archive.org/details/computes-programming-the-commodore-64-the-definitive-guide-revised-edition_202111" target="_blank">definitive guide to programming the Commodore 64</a>—

a tome of rituals and secrets from that golden age.

Women Inventors

Frequency Hopping:

Hedy Lamarr's invention of frequency hopping was a groundbreaking contribution to the field of wireless communications. Frequency hopping is a technique that allows a signal to switch between different frequencies in a random or predetermined pattern, making it harder for an enemy to jam or intercept the signal. This technique is widely used in modern technologies such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS, which rely on wireless transmission of data over radio waves.

WiFi - Wireless Fidelity:

WiFi, or wireless fidelity, is a technology that allows devices to connect to the internet or a local network without using wires. WiFi uses radio waves to transmit data between devices and access points, such as routers or modems. WiFi devices use frequency hopping to avoid interference from other wireless signals and to increase security and reliability. WiFi operates in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands, which are divided into multiple channels. WiFi devices can switch between these channels to find the best one for communication.

Bluetooth:

Bluetooth is a technology that allows devices to communicate with each other over short distances using radio waves. Bluetooth devices use frequency hopping to establish and maintain connections, as well as to avoid interference from other wireless signals. Bluetooth operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, which is divided into 79 channels. Bluetooth devices can hop between these channels up to 1600 times per second.

GPS - Global Positioning:

GPS, or global positioning system, is a technology that uses satellites to provide location and time information to devices on Earth. GPS satellites transmit signals on two frequencies: L1 (1575.42 MHz) and L2 (1227.60 MHz). GPS receivers use frequency hopping to acquire and track these signals, as well as to reduce noise and interference from other sources. GPS receivers can hop between these frequencies up to 50 times per second.

Hedy Lamarr's invention of frequency hopping has influenced many modern technologies that we use every day. She was a remarkable woman who combined beauty and brains, and who deserves more recognition for her achievements in science and engineering.

Credit: Bing ChatBot