I am *such* a geek...
May. 10th, 2005 08:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kengrWatching NCIS and they mention y. pestis. And I immediately went "yersina pestis aka bubonic plague".
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Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-11 04:08 am (UTC)Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-11 05:08 am (UTC)Normally you get it via flea bites. But in a very few cases after someone gets infected, it moves to trhe lungs. Then when they cough, they spread it. That's pneumonic plague. And if you inhale what they cough out, you get the pneumonic version.
But if a flea bites someone with pneumonic plague, then bites an unifected person, the bitten person will get bubonic plague, not pneumonic.
There's a third version, but I can't recall the name.
BTW, you can get plague in the US. It's endemic among the squirrel population in parts of California and a few other states. They call it "Sylvan Plague" so as to not panic people.
This is why you don't handle dead squirrels or other animals that you find laying around.
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-11 09:54 pm (UTC)Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-12 01:44 am (UTC)Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-14 09:47 pm (UTC)Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-14 10:08 pm (UTC)shadow
Bi poly submissive masochist
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-15 09:59 pm (UTC)Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-15 10:54 pm (UTC)Had a *really* scary experience with a friend that way once. In the middle of trying to fist her, she started calling me Daddy and her vioce which was already kind of "little girl" to start with got even younger sounding.
... and I realized that I hadn't caught that she wasn't just protesting before but had really wanted me to stop. I'd triggered a flashback to her childhood. (One of the places we knew eacjh other from was an abuse survivors group).
It is *not* a fun feeling to realize that you are now (for all practical purposes) "raping" a six-year old. Nor is it fun talking your partnedr down from that sort of flashback.
So I'm a *lot* more careful in the sort of play I do from the "top" side of things. Electrical is about the only kind I'm completely comfortable doing to folks. Then again, it's about the only kind of non-psychological play I *can* do much of with folks anymore (flogging is mostly out because of my elbow)
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-15 11:17 pm (UTC)*Nods* Me too. I think.
Had a *really* scary experience with a friend that way once. In the middle of trying to fist her, she started calling me Daddy and her vioce which was already kind of "little girl" to start with got even younger sounding. ... and I realized that I hadn't caught that she wasn't just protesting before but had really wanted me to stop. I'd triggered a flashback to her childhood. (One of the places we knew eacjh other from was an abuse survivors group).
Ee-eeee-ee-eesh... that sucks. I hope it didn't ruin your friendship.
It is *not* a fun feeling to realize that you are now (for all practical purposes) "raping" a six-year old. Nor is it fun talking your partnedr down from that sort of flashback.
Good Lord, I don't imagine it would be. I would be put off Domming permanently after something like that.
Though that begs the question, why is she into BDSM if she was raped as a child? Seems like she should shy away from that stuff.
So I'm a *lot* more careful in the sort of play I do from the "top" side of things. Electrical is about the only kind I'm completely comfortable doing to folks.
Electrical?
Then again, it's about the only kind of non-psychological play I *can* do much of with folks anymore (flogging is mostly out because of my elbow)
I don't think I could be a true BDSM Dom.
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-16 01:08 am (UTC)Good Lord, I don't imagine it would be. I would be put off Domming permanently after something like that.
Well, it was over 15 years ago.
Though that begs the question, why is she into BDSM if she was raped as a child? Seems like she should shy away from that stuff.
Some folks are into it *because* of that. And not necessarily in a "bad" way. From my childhood, I have *severe* trust issues (though not as bad as they once were). But I BDSM has (especially at *public* play parties) has given me a *safe* way to learn to trust more. If somebody goes to far, a yell of "Safeword!" will bring lots of peoiple running.
Electrical?
I started out on my own playing with transformers and stuff. These days I know just how lucky I was that I didn't have any of a number of nasty things happen to me. Self electrical play with "improvised" setups is about as dangerous as autoasphyxiation play. Both likely account for a lot of deaths written up as "suicide" by investigators who don't know any better.
But done with the right toys electrical play is quite safe. Things like TENS units (a medical device used to fool nerves as a way of dealing with some sorts of pain) *can't* hurt you unless you do something *really* stupid with them. Like set them up to force the current to go thru your heart (which takes a bit of doing) or thru your head.
Anyway, with a tens or the other slightly more powerful boxes made especially for SM play, you are sending low voltage current at *much* less than an amp (TENS units top out at 80 milliamps, that's 0.08 amps) at various pulse frequencies and patterns thru various body parts.
For example, with a TENS and pads on a butt cheek, at medium power and low pulse rates, each pulse feels like someone took a cane or the like and gave you a firm "tap" with it. At higher pulse rates it feels more like a vibrator. And then you hit a point where tetany occurs, basically, the muscles quit responding with individual contractions to the pulses and just sort of "quiver". A *very* strange sensation.
Depending on pulse characteristics and where you place the contacts you can get all sorts of pleasant and unpleasant effects. It's even possible to force an orgasm from a guy (I can testify to this!) and (I'm told) from a gal as well.
On guys, you can even force an orgasm in a manner that is *not* terribly pleasant. So even as they are enjoying the orgasm they are also writhing from wahat feels like (depending on placement) a line of fire running down their cock or a giant's hand *squeezing* inside. And without doing any damage. Worst that has happened after a *heavy* session was a bit of numbness that went away if a few hours (over-stimulated nerves that needed time to recover)
If you are a masochist, this is great. If you aren't, it can be an interesting bit of discipline. Or just a "be careful what you ask for" head trip.
It's best to have someone who knows what they are doing give you a brief demo before deciding whether or not you want to try this. My "demo" setup is to use my TENS (it's small, pocket sized and less complex than my fancier toys) and an attachment intend for vaginal insertion. The attachment is basically a silicon rubber cylinder with a dark area on each side. Those are conductive rubber (yes, there is such a thing).
I have the person hold it in one hand. they can let go if it gets uncomfortable. Heck, at the high settings (if they let me go that high) it's harder to hold onto than to let go!
I turn the power up until they can feel it, then when they get used to it, I turn it up a bit more and show them what varying the other settings do. Then if they are still interested, I'll turn the power up farther.
And if they think they want to try it out further, I tell them to look me up at a play party.
I get a few "No thanks", a few "Yeah!" and a lot if "hmm.. maybe."
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-16 10:37 pm (UTC)Oh good, glad to hear that. :-)
Well, it was over 15 years ago.
Still...
Some folks are into it *because* of that. And not necessarily in a "bad" way. From my childhood, I have *severe* trust issues (though not as bad as they once were). But I BDSM has (especially at *public* play parties) has given me a *safe* way to learn to trust more. If somebody goes to far, a yell of "Safeword!" will bring lots of peoiple running.
Dare I ask what caused your trust issues? Are you comfortable sharing that?
I have a few myself, from being bullied and betrayed by my peers so often in life.
Both likely account for a lot of deaths written up as "suicide" by investigators who don't know any better.
Indeed. I've heard of autoasphixiation deaths like that.
But done with the right toys electrical play is quite safe. Things like TENS units (a medical device used to fool nerves as a way of dealing with some sorts of pain) *can't* hurt you unless you do something *really* stupid with them. Like set them up to force the current to go thru your heart (which takes a bit of doing) or thru your head.
Cool.
For example, with a TENS and pads on a butt cheek, at medium power and low pulse rates, each pulse feels like someone took a cane or the like and gave you a firm "tap" with it. At higher pulse rates it feels more like a vibrator. And then you hit a point where tetany occurs, basically, the muscles quit responding with individual contractions to the pulses and just sort of "quiver". A *very* strange sensation.
Sounds fun. :-)
It's even possible to force an orgasm from a guy (I can testify to this!) and (I'm told) from a gal as well.
0_0
Worst that has happened after a *heavy* session was a bit of numbness that went away if a few hours (over-stimulated nerves that needed time to recover)
"IT'S ON FIRE! IT'S ON FIRE! MY COCK IS ON FIRE! Oh wait... false alarm." :-)
If you are a masochist, this is great. If you aren't, it can be an interesting bit of discipline. Or just a "be careful what you ask for" head trip.
LOL! Head trip?
It's best to have someone who knows what they are doing give you a brief demo before deciding whether or not you want to try this. My "demo" setup is to use my TENS (it's small, pocket sized and less complex than my fancier toys) and an attachment intend for vaginal insertion.
Wow! :-)
The attachment is basically a silicon rubber cylinder with a dark area on each side. Those are conductive rubber (yes, there is such a thing).
Cool, I didn't know that.
Neat, the things you learn when you are open-minded. :-)
And if they think they want to try it out further, I tell them to look me up at a play party.
I live in Iowa. I'd be surprised if there was more than one such group in all of Iowa.
I get a few "No thanks", a few "Yeah!" and a lot if "hmm.. maybe."
LOL! I'm not surprised.
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-17 12:20 am (UTC)Dare I ask what caused your trust issues? Are you comfortable sharing that? I have a few myself, from being bullied and betrayed by my peers so often in life.
Lots of stuff. Tricks by my "peers" when growing up, a particularly *nasty* bit in 7th grade when a girlk in the "in" crowd "befriended" me and hung around with me at schoool. And then the day I confided something in her, I was greeted the next morning by her and the rest of her "clique" taunting me with it.
Add in stuff like my making a deal with my mom (at around age 15) to do a bunch of extra work in exchange for being able to do something and then after the work was done getting told I didn't get to do it after all (which was the final straw for our "relationship")....
"IT'S ON FIRE! IT'S ON FIRE! MY COCK IS ON FIRE! Oh wait... false alarm." :-)
"Fire" is the best way I can think of to describe it. Lets just say that if I hadn't already know that the nerve trunk for the penis runs along the top side before, I'd have known it after that!
Ben gay and the like produce a different sort of "it's on fire!" sensation.
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-17 10:12 pm (UTC)*Nods*
Lots of stuff. Tricks by my "peers" when growing up, a particularly *nasty* bit in 7th grade when a girlk in the "in" crowd "befriended" me and hung around with me at schoool. And then the day I confided something in her, I was greeted the next morning by her and the rest of her "clique" taunting me with it.
*Nods* Bullies should have their genitalia removed.
Add in stuff like my making a deal with my mom (at around age 15) to do a bunch of extra work in exchange for being able to do something and then after the work was done getting told I didn't get to do it after all (which was the final straw for our "relationship")....
I've been lucky with my parents, they got lied to as kids and hated it, so they always tell the truth now.
"Fire" is the best way I can think of to describe it. Lets just say that if I hadn't already know that the nerve trunk for the penis runs along the top side before, I'd have known it after that!
It does?
Ben gay and the like produce a different sort of "it's on fire!" sensation.
Really?
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-18 06:50 am (UTC)With a dull spoon...
(about location of nerve trunk in penis]
Yes, I learned about the nerve trunk while watching a slide show on male-to-female SRS put together by an aquaintance. she got permission from the doctor and a couple her friend who were going to get the surgery done and was allowed to take pics in the operating room.
It was interesting seeing them dissect out everything and leave behind the urethra (dangling from the body) and the head attached to this bundle of nerves and blood vessels.
Ben gay and the like produce a different sort of "it's on fire!" sensation.
Really?
Yep, Ben gay, Icy Hot, Heet all those heating rubs all contain menthol or related chemicals. On skin such as that found on the genitals they *really* burn. And (as I learned to my sorrow in my teens) applying cold stuff doesn't kill the burn.
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-18 09:40 pm (UTC)Ooooh, sadistic. :-)
I can think sadistic thoughts... you should see some of the hateful, angry poems I wrote after one particularly nasty breakup. But I could never have the stomach to go through with even the tamest things in those poems. :-)
(about location of nerve trunk in penis]
Yes, I learned about the nerve trunk while watching a slide show on male-to-female SRS put together by an aquaintance. she got permission from the doctor and a couple her friend who were going to get the surgery done and was allowed to take pics in the operating room.
What is SRS? (Though please, if it's something gross, I don't want to know.)
Pictures... in an operating room... *shudders* I don't want to see anyone's insides, thank you. The only insides I can stand to see are ones that can be seen with cameras without having to cut anyone.
It was interesting seeing them dissect out everything and leave behind the urethra (dangling from the body) and the head attached to this bundle of nerves and blood vessels.
*Turns green* Okay, changing the subject now.
Do you like kitties? I like kitties. Kitties are furry and cute and cuddly.
Ben gay and the like produce a different sort of "it's on fire!" sensation.
Really?
Yep, Ben gay, Icy Hot, Heet all those heating rubs all contain menthol or related chemicals. On skin such as that found on the genitals they *really* burn. And (as I learned to my sorrow in my teens) applying cold stuff doesn't kill the burn.
Ooooh... ouch. :-)
Check out my novel:
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-19 03:57 am (UTC)In the case described, turning male genitals to a semi-reasonable approximation of female.
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-24 02:52 pm (UTC)Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-16 01:08 am (UTC)I don't think I could be a true BDSM Dom.
Depends on what you mean by "true dom" (a phrase that sets teeth on edge among most folks who are really into the scene and knowledgable.
And remember. BDSM is a catch-all term invented (I *watched* it get invented on alt.sex.bondage!) to refer to the overlapping but distinct communitioes of B&D (bondage & discipline), D/S (dominance/submission) and S&M (sadism & masochism).
B&D doesn't have pain as the object, though it can be an important part of the scene. D/S is more "in the head" though some folks use deliberate disobedience (or "forced" disobediance via impossible to accomplish tasks) as a way to give or receive painful punishments. And (of course) S&M is all about giving/receiving pain. And most play incorporates at least a little of all three even if it's primarily one of them.
Deciding what you do and do want to do and get any play paretners to do the same.
As an example, I don't *do* the "excuse to punish" stuff. At least not on the recieving end. And I'd rather not do it on the giving end unless it's some really deliberate role playing.
And my last Master and I used stuff like spankings as *rewards* (hey, I *am* a masochist).
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-16 10:49 pm (UTC)Means I could do it for someone I loved, but I wouldn't be able to go too far with it, and I doubt I would enjoy it at all. I'm not sadistic at all.
And remember. BDSM is a catch-all term invented (I *watched* it get invented on alt.sex.bondage!) to refer to the overlapping but distinct communitioes of B&D (bondage & discipline), D/S (dominance/submission) and S&M (sadism & masochism).
Whoa, major deja vu. Have we had this exact conversation already? Even what I just wrote in the first paragraph of this reply sounds familiar.
And my last Master and I used stuff like spankings as *rewards* (hey, I *am* a masochist).
Sounds like the system I would prefer.
As for me, I wouldn't want all the gear. Maybe a pleather collar and that's it. I'd prefer to be hit with hands, fists, legs, and so on.
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-17 12:08 am (UTC)Means I could do it for someone I loved, but I wouldn't be able to go too far with it, and I doubt I would enjoy it at all. I'm not sadistic at all.
I'm great at dreaming up "evil situations" to put a sub in. Several of my aquaintances have given me the "Oh thanks *ever* so much" bit after I made "suggestions" to their top. :-)
Whoa, major deja vu. Have we had this exact conversation already? Even what I just wrote in the first paragraph of this reply sounds familiar.
Well, I've had to describe that before in various groups.
And my last Master and I used stuff like spankings as *rewards* (hey, I *am* a masochist).
Sounds like the system I would prefer.
Well, my punishments were things like writing lines, having to eat foods I'm nopt terribly fond of, etc.
As for me, I wouldn't want all the gear. Maybe a pleather collar and that's it. I'd prefer to be hit with hands, fists, legs, and so on.
Well it's hard to get enough sensation (I'm what's known as a "heavy bottom" aka "pain slut") without toys. My collection has grown over time. Also, since one person I play with has fibromyalgia, I need toys that don't take a lot of strength to produce a lot of pain.
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-17 09:54 pm (UTC)Well that's thinking, not actually doing.
Well, I've had to describe that before in various groups.
Hmm... I think it was just me. I am fairly sure I haven't seen you in any other groups explaining that.
Well, my punishments were things like writing lines, having to eat foods I'm nopt terribly fond of, etc.
Oh.
Well it's hard to get enough sensation (I'm what's known as a "heavy bottom" aka "pain slut") without toys. My collection has grown over time. Also, since one person I play with has fibromyalgia, I need toys that don't take a lot of strength to produce a lot of pain.
o_0? Djai has FMS and they're into masochism? ROTFL! What the hell was djai thinking? I would think that with the continual hell of FMS, that they would loathe and despise pain... since it happens 100% of the time. For Goddess's sake, most FMS patients even feel pain in their sleep! I don't understand that at all.
Humanity: the more you study it, the less you understand.
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-18 06:52 am (UTC)Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-18 09:42 pm (UTC)I stand by my statement, though. (Humanity: the more you study it, the less you understand.)
Check out my novel:
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-12 09:02 am (UTC)There's a third version, but I can't recall the name.
That'd be septicemic, most deadly of the three with a mortality rate only just shy of 100%, in which the virus is not content to give you nasty coughs or unsightly buboes, but goes straight for blood poisoning (do not pass Go, and so forth).
*coughs* Sorry, avoiding studying.
Re: Geekiness...
Date: 2005-05-12 10:45 am (UTC)As I understand, without modern anti-biotics, the survival rate for the other two kinds isn't exactly great.
Wish I had a copy of a disaster novel I read back in the 70s. Had someone on a visit to California of one of the other western states encountered dead or dying squirrel one their last day. And return to NYC on Amtrak. In a individual berth on a sleeper car.
By the time she got off in Grand Central, she had a full fledged case of pneumonic plague....