u/Ok_History_4163

The computer game Blade Runner from 1997 is a point and click adventure game based on the 1982 movie with the same name. The movie was in turn based on the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.

Instead of following the policeman Rick Deckard in the movie Blade Runner, you control the actions of a policeman named Ray McCoy and his adventures in a rainy and dark future Los Angeles.

The plot revolves around McCoy hunting down a rogue faction of Nexus-6 replicants while navigating a web of corruption that eventually forces him to question his own identity and humanity. The game has thirteen different endings depending on your choices when playing it.

Several characters from the 1982 Ridley Scott movie make appearances, with the ⁠original actors returning to voice them:

Rachael (voiced by Sean Young)

Dr. Eldon Tyrell (voiced by Joe Turkel)

J.F. Sebastian (voiced by William Sanderson)

Leon Kowalski (voiced by Brion James)

Hannibal Chew (voiced by James Hong)

I am rather old and I played the game at its release. It was a nice time playing it. I left the regular world and was embedded in a cyberpunk reality when I played it. I am not updated in computer technology, but the game is available for download on GOG.com.

This post is from my subreddit r/Tanganyikacichlids. If you're into cichlids from this lake, check it out for more posts about them.

This cichlid hasn't been given a scientific name yet, so at the moment it is called Enantiopus sp. "Kilesa". It is a quite peaceful fish that inhabits sandy shallow waters in Lake Tanganyika. It reaches a maximum lenght of 15 cm (6 inches).

An aquarium of at least 500 litres (125 gallons) is recommended. As its normal feeding behaviour is to take mouthfuls of sand and filter it through its gills in search for edibles, much sand is obligatory in a tank with this fish. The male makes pits and piles in the sand during spawning as well. A couple of large stones are good as territory marks. As Enantiopus sp. "Kilesa" is particular about water quality, weekly partial water changes and efficent filtering are recommended.

As it lives in schools in the lake, it should be kept in groups in aquariums. A good group may consist of 1 - 2 males and 4 - 7 females.

Good food are mysis, krill, adult brine shrimps and homemade food with much meat in it. Flake food is OK as supplementary food.

Enantiopus sp. "Kilesa" is a maternal mouthbrooder. 10 - 50 eggs are layed and brooded.

It is rather fragile and care should be taken not to scare it when handling it. It is quite difficult to obtain from retailers, but a good retailer should be able to have it specially delivered to you, at least if you pay for it in advance.

Picture 1: A female and a male Enantiopus sp. "Kilesa". The male is the more colourful one. Picture 2: A male trying to impress a female during spawning. Picture 3: A male having spotted the photographer.

Romania is probably the European epicentre for fictional and folkloric vampires and vampire-like creatures. Serbia, Albania and Greece are other European countries with a long tradition of tales and ideas about these bloodsuckers.

In Romanian folklore, vampires or vampire-like creatures are called strigois. Strigois are evil, tormented, undead or living beings, that are said to rise from their graves to terrorise people, suck their blood and drain the life force from them.

Living strigois are called strigoi viy and undead strigois are called strigoi mort. The undead strigois are percieved as being the most evil and dangerous.

Strigois are believed to have shapeshifting powers, beng able to control the weather and practice some other types of magic as well.

In Bram Stoker's novel Dracula from 1897, elements of the Romanian vampire world clash with the morals of Victorian England. The modern fictional vampire, with its sophistication, sex appeal and intelligence, is largely a product of this novel.

Bran Castle in Romania, in the historical province of Transylvania, is usually viewed as Dracula's home, although it isn't explicitily named in Stoker's novel. The exteriors of the first film about Nosferatu from 1922 - another fictional Romanian vampire and a copycat of Dracula - were filmed at Orava Castle in Slovakia. The exteriors of the 2024 remake of this film were filmed at Cervin Castle in Romania.

Picture 1: A map of Europe with Romania marked.

Picture 2: A 17th century map of the territories of Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia. Transylvania is coloured in pink, Moldavia in yellow and Wallachia in green. Wallachia and Moldavia unified in 1859. Transylvania - as well as the territories of Bessarabia and Bukovina - joined the alliance in 1918 to form modern Romania.

Picture 3: An old engraving featuring a strigoi going berserk.

Picture 4: Bran Castle.

Picture 5: Orava Castle.

Picture 6: Cervin Castle.

Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky were each others mutual idols.

Tarkovsky once made a list of his top ten films. Three of the films were Bergman films:

1. Diary of a Country Priest (Robert Bresson, 1951)

2. Winter Light (Ingmar Bergman, 1963)

3. Nazarin (Luis Buñuel, 1954)

4. Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)

5. City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)

6. Ugetsu Monogatari (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953)

7. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)

8. Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966)

9. Mouchette (Robert Bresson, 1967)

10. Woman of the Dunes (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1964)

A most telling quote from Tarkovsky:

"I am only interested in the views of two people: One is called Bresson, the other one is called Bergman.”

Bergman was very frank in his views on different film directors, in no mood for telling polite lies, so the following quotes from him about Tarkovsky are quite extraordinary:

"For me, Tarkovsky is the greatest, the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of film, as it captures life as a reflection, as a dream."

"When film is not a document, it is a dream. That is why Tarkovsky is the greatest of them all. He moves with such naturalness in the rooms of dreams. What should he explain anyhow? He is a spectator capable of staging his visions in the most unwieldy but, in a way, most willing of media. All my life have I hammered on the doors to the rooms in which he moves so naturally. Only a few times have I managed to venture inside."

"My discovery of Tarkovsky's first film was like a miracle. Suddenly I found myself standing at the door of a room that the keys, until then, never had been given to me. I felt encouraged and stimulated: Someone was expressing what I have always wanted to say without knowing how."

Tarkovsky's last film, The Sacrifice, is quite much a hommage to Bergman. It is made not only in Bergman's native country Sweden, but on the same Swedish island where Bergman resided, Gotland.

If you are into films from these directors, check out my subreddits r/IngmarBergmandirects and r/Tarkovskydirects for more post about them.

The ankh is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol used to represent the word for life and, by extension, as a symbol of life itself.

The sign is popular in the goth subculture, being particularly associated with vampires. It gained in popularity by its use in the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade.

The ankh may have been used decoratively more than any other hieroglyphic sign.

It is the most widely used symbol of Egyptian origin, or more broadly of African origin, in the Western world, particularly recognized as a design for jewelry and tattoos. It is sometimes used by people of African descent in the United States and Europe as a symbol of African cultural identity.

Picture 1: An ankh. Picture 2: Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs featuring ankhs.

Xenotilapia bathyphilus is a quite peaceful cichlid from the sandy depths of Lake Tanganyika. It reaches a maximum lenght of 12 cm (5 inches).

It was described, classified and named in 1956 by the Belgian ichtyologist and taxonomist Max Poll. Its name means "Alien African cichlid who loves depths."

An aquarium of at least 200 litres (50 gallons) is recommended. It should be kept in groups, with at least 6 individuals in the group. The aquarium should contain lots of sand, as these fishes natural feeding behaviour is to take mouthfuls of sand and filter it through their gills in search for edibles. The males make craters in the sand as spawning sites as well. A couple of large rounded stones can function as territorial marks.

As with all fishes of the Xenotilapia genus, you should have lids on a tank with Xenotilapia bathyphilus, as it is easily scared and may jump out of a tank without lids.

Most other small and peaceful Tanganyika cichlids work as tankmates. If you have enough of rocks and stones in your tank, small rock-dwelling Tanganyika cichlids, like Julidochromis and Neolamprologus, work as company as well.

Suitable food are mysis, adult brine shrimps, cyclops and daphnia as well as homemade food with much meat in it. Flake food is OK.

Xenotilapia bathyphilus is a maternal mouthbrooder. Up to 20 eggs are layed and brooded. The eggs and the fryes are kept safe in their mothers' mouths for about three weeks until being released into our cruel world.

Picture 1: A male and a female Xenotilapia bathyphilus. The male is the more colourful one. Picture 2: A whole bunch of Xenotilapia bathyphilus.

Altolamprologus compressiceps is a carnivore cichlid from the rocky shores of Lake Tanganyika.

It looks really predatory in a grumpy way. It is a quite cool and peaceful cichlid despite its look. Males reach a maximum lenght of 16 cm (6 inches), while females are smaller. It is closely related to Altolamprologus calvus. Many different colour morphs exist of this fish.

It was described, named and classified in 1898 by the Belgian ichtyologist and taxonomist George Boulenger. Its name means "high radiant expression with a compressed head".

An aquarium of at least 200 litres (25 gallons) is recommended. The aquarium should contain lots of rocks and stones, arranged to form caves and cracks. Sand or fine gravel is also suitable in a tank with this fish.

In Lake Tanganyika, Altolamprologus compressiceps feeds on shrimps, snails and small fishes. Good food in a tank are mysis, krill, clams and fish meat. Meat- based pellets and meat-based flake food are OK.

Most Tanganyika cichlids work as tankmates, apart from really small ones, that will be viewed as prey.

It is a substrate spawner. 50 - 200 eggs are layed. In the lake, Altolamprologus compressiceps usually spawns in a crack between stones that the female fits into, but is too small for the male to get inside. Mollusc shells can function as a substitute for this in a tank.

The pictures show three different colour morphs of this fish.

Xenotilapia papilio is a small and quite peaceful cichlid that lives among rocks, stones, sand, sediment and water in Lake Tanganyika. It reaches a maximum lenght of 10 cm (4 inches).

It was discovered, described, classified and named as late as 1990, by the Swiss ichtyologist and explorer Heinz Büscher. Papilio is the latin word for butterfly.

As its natural feeding behaviour is to take mouthfuls of sand or sediment and filter it through its gills in search for edibles, lots of sand or sediment is obligatory in a tank. A couple of stones are good to make it feel safe. Plants make the aquarium more aesthetically appealing, but are only optional.

An aquarium of af least 150 litres (38 gallon) is recommended. As Xenotilapia papilio is particular about water quality, weekly partial water changes and efficient filtering are recommended. It is a bottom oriented fish and suitable tankmates are small peaceful Tanganyika cichlids, like Cyprichromis and Paracyprichromis, that occupy the upper part of tanks. If you have enough of rocks and stones in your tank, small rock-dwelling Tanganyika cichlids work as companions to it as well.

A mix of vegetables and meat is recommended as food in a home aquarium. Good food is homemade food, like the shrimps-peas-spinach mix that I shared a recipe on in a previous post here. Adult brine shrimps, cyclops, daphnia plus vegetable-based flake food work fine as well.

Xenotilapia papilio is a biparental mouthbrooder. The first part of the mouthbrooding business is done by the female and then the male takes over. 8 - 20 eggs are layed and brooded.

This post is from my subreddit r/Tanganyikacichlids. Check it out for more posts about cichlids from Lake Tanganyika.

Julidochromis marileri is a quite small and also quite peppery cichlid from the rocky shores of Lake Tanganyika. The female reaches a maximum lenght of 13 cm (5 inches), while the male is slightly smaller.

Its name was given by the Belgian ichtyologist and taxonomist Max Poll to honour the Belgian ichtyologist and limnologist Georges Marlier.

As this cichlid carries quite much aggressions, it is best kept in pairs in an aquarium with lots of hiding places. Julidochromis marileri doesn't need a big tank, an aquarium of 100 litres (23 gallons) is enough for a pair. Rocks and stones are suitable design fundaments in a tank. The rocks and the stones should be arranged to form caves and cracks, that can function as hiding places and spawning sites. Some plants make the aquarium more aesthetically appealing, but are only optional.

Suitable food are mysis, adult brine shrimps, cyclops and daphnia as well as homemade food with much meat in it. Flake food is OK.

Change about a quarter of the tank water every week. Use powerful pumps to get the water well circulated. Difusors on the outflows of the pumps are great to get the water oxygened well. It is good to add a few spoons of salt to the water when changing it.

Julidochromis marileri is a substrate spawner. 50 - 75 eggs are layed, usually in a cave. The eggs and the fryes are mainly guarded by the female.

Picture 1: An adult Julidochromis marileri. Picture 2: Juveniles of this fish.

Posten är hämtad från min subreddit r/Svenskastormakten. Om du är intresserad av svensk historia i allmänhet och stormaktstiden i synnerhet, spana in den för fler poster om en fascinerande och dynamisk del av vår historia.

Karl XII (1682 - 1718) är tillsammans med Gustav II Adolf den internationellt mest kända av Sveriges regenter.

Han blev kung och envåldshärskare vid femton års ålder. Efter att alliansen Danmark, Sachsen och Ryssland angripit Sverige och landets allierade Holstein-Gottorp spenderade han större delen av sin regeringstid i fält, i det krig som skulle komma att kallas stora nordiska kriget. Karl XII ledde Sveriges armé till både dess mest häpnadsväckande seger och mest avgörande nederlag (Narva och Poltava).

Utmärkande för hans personlighet var kompromisslöshet, enkel livsföring samt förstås att han var en stridens man.

Hans regeringstid innebar förlusten av Baltikum och större delen av Sveriges tyska provinser och därigenom landets stormaktsställning. Utan allianser, som Karl XII inte lyckades få till, var det geopolitiska läget mycket svårt för Sverige.

För en del regenter är krig något man ska undvika till varje pris, för andra är det ett medel för att nå ett mål, för ytterligare andra verkar kriget vara ett mål i sig, en livsstil eller något.

Åsikter om honom?

Posten är hämtad från min subreddit r/Svenskastormakten. Spana in den för fler poster om en fascinerande och dynamisk del av vår historia.

Soldattorp var torp som byggts åt och användes av en indelt soldat för att fungera som bostad under fredstid. Totalt fanns mellan 20 000 och 35 000 soldattorp i riket under indelningsverkets tid. Endast omkring 5 000 av dem finns kvar. Indelningsverket skapades på initiativ av Karl XI under 1680-talet för att Sverige skulle ha ständig tillgång på soldater.

Indelningsverket fungerade som så att Sveriges lantbruk delades in i så kallade rotar, där varje rote hade skyldighet att förse en soldat med bostad, lada, en bit mark och lön. Beroende på gårdarnas storlek kunde en rote bestå av allt mellan en och femton gårdar.

Torpet var knutet till tjänsten som soldat. När soldaten lämnade det militära fick han också flytta ut ur torpet.

Soldattorpen låg i allmänhet med enskilt läge på mindre god jord. Soldaten hade ofta en till två kor, höns, kanske en gris, kanske får. Arealen på marken var sisådär en hektar (10 000 m²). Marken användes till bete och som vall samt för odling av grödor som rovor, lök, morötter, bönor, kål och spannmål.

Det var förstås hårda bud att vara menig soldat på den tiden, men det är en fascinerande kontrast mellan att ena dagen påta fredligt i jorden i hemsocknen och andra dagen strida för kungen i främmande land.

Bild 1: Ett soldattorp. Bild 2: Ritning till ett typiskt soldattorp. Bild 3 - 5: Interiörer från ett typiskt soldattorp. Bild 6: Soldattavla från Kalmars regemente. Soldattavlorna hängde på utsidan av torpen som identifikation.

Posten är hämtad från min subreddit r/Svenskastormakten. Spana in den för fler poster om en fascinerande och dynamisk del av vår historia.

Tobak introducerades i Sverige på 1600-talet.

1601 omnämns tobak för första gången i svenska tullhandlingar. Tobak var inledningsvis dyrt och främst för överklassen, men blev snart en vara som användes av många. Piprökning var vanligast, följt av snusning i näsan.

Staten försökte kontrollera handeln genom fyra olika tobaksmonopol mellan 1641 och 1660. På grund av monopolen och höga tullavgifter var smuggling vanligt. År 1687 upphävdes det sista av monopolen, vilket tillät svenskar att fritt importera och odla tobak.

Tobaksbruket åstadkom en partibildning, för och emot. Numera är det ju bara emot, så en lite lustig och uppfriskande sak från tiden är en latinsk avhandling från Uppsala år 1633 med den svenska titeln "Om den nikotinska örtens eller tobakens härliga egenskaper". Bland de egenskaper den nikotinska örten tillskrivs räknar författaren upp dess förmåga att bota så pass olikartade sjukdomar som andtäppa, gikt och tandvärk.

Bild 1: Rökare från 1600-talet. Bild 2: Pipa modell äldre.

Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Far beyond the sun (J-et i namnet är till för att skilja honom från den andra Yngwie Malmsteen): https://youtu.be/nBWrRuJ0a4g?is=EbBO-gxFe8Jb_OUV

Posten är hämtad från min subreddit r/Svenskastormakten. Spana in den för fler poster om en fascinerande och dynamisk del av vår historia.

Kristina (1626–1689) var drottning av Sverige 1632 - 1654.

Hon var enda barnet till Gustav II Adolf. Hon blev drottning vid sex års ålder när hennes far stupade i slaget vid Lützen. Under hennes barndom styrdes Sverige av en förmyndarregering ledd av Axel Oxenstierna. Kristina övertog regeringsmakten när hon fyllde 18 år.

Kristina var den intellektuella och excentriska typen, föga kvinnlig, intresserad av framförallt filosofi, konst och vetenskap. Hon bjöd in utländska lärda till Stockholm, däribland den franske filosofen och matematikern René Descartes.

Äktenskap intresserade henne inte, inte heller att regera. Den lutherska varianten av kristendomen var inte hennes likör, utan hon drogs till katolicismen.

Hon abdikerade 1654. I samband med abdikationen konverterade hon till katolicismen och flyttade till Rom. Där blev hon en inflytelserik figur inom stadens kulturliv och påvehov. Kristina dog i Rom 1689. Hon ligger begravd i Peterskyrkan.

Bild 1: Kristina. Bild 2: Kristina i samspråk med René Descartes. Bild 3: Kristina som barn. Bild 4: Gravmonumentet över henne i Peterskyrkan.

I have crossed oceans of time to find you...

One, two, three oceans of time...

Ahh...ahh...ahh!

The setting is present time, in an ancient Eastern European castle, in the night. A group of vampire hunters are searching through the castle in search of vampires, as this castle is said to be inhabited by them.

One of the vampire hunters is not whom she seems to be. Her name is Rebecca:

"The self-righteous ones, the vampire slayers, I joined them. They condemn everything that isn't them. They only love themselves and restrictions. I never believed their religious ideas, I never approved of their intolerance. They bore me. Fashions come, fashion go, religions come, religions go. Passion persists. I only joined them in order to become a vampire."

Rebecca ventures further into the labyrinth of the castle, with a golden knife in her hand. The knife is only there for a show. She would never use it, not on a vampire or on anyone else.

A vampire shows up. Her name is Petra. Petra shows her carnivore teeth to Rebecca with a hiss. She walks towards Rebecca, while looking Rebecca in her eyes. Rebecca unconvincingy point her knife to Petra, but her eyes tells the truth and the truth is that she wants Petra and that she wants to be a vampire: Two sets of glowing eyes looking deeply into each other. The eyes are the mirrors of the soul. The eyes speak in silent words what can't be said.

They get close. They start to kiss: A kiss from a passionate unholy vampire with carnivore teeth, no human kiss beats that. Petra puts her teeth into Rebecca's neck and starts to suck Rebecca's blood. Rebecca drops her knife.

After having drinken about a gallon of blood, Petra says to Rebecca: "Now you are a vampire, now you are a predator, now you are perfection. Let's deal with the other hunters now."

"You can do the violence, I can do the sucking...or whatever." answers Rebecca.

They walk down the corridor. The vampire hunters are in grave trouble now.

Mainly because of the iconic vampire Dracula and his copycat Nosferatu - two castle-dwelling vampires - castles and vampires are long since a loving pair. Here are pictures of 10 European castles that would make classy homes and safe retreat places for any vampire and that can function as inspiration for the rest of us: a reason to start, or continue, to invest in the stock market, or whatever.

Which one, if any, is your favourite? If you have other favourite castles, please share pictures of them in the comment section.

Picture 1: Orava Castle, Slovakia. Picture 2: Bran Castle, Romania. Picture 3: Predjama Castle, Slovenia. Picture 4: Margam Castle, Wales. Picture 5: Hohenzoller Castle, Germany. Picture 6: Burg Eltz, Germany. Picture 7: Moosham Castle, Austria. Picture 8: Mont Saint Michel, France (It is actually a monastery). Picture 9: Joachim Kroll Manor, France (not per definition a castle, but really vampiric). Picture 10: Örebro Castle, Sweden.

Posten är hämtad från min subreddit r/Svenskastormakten. Spana in den för fler poster om en fascinerande och dynamisk del av vår historia.

Örbyhus slott är beläget cirka 5 mil norr om Uppsala. Godset Örby är känt sedan 1300-talet. Det har ägts av ätter som Vasa, Bielke, Banér, De Geer och von Rosen. 1451 köpte Gustav Vasas farfar Johan Kristersson godset.

Gustav Vasa bytte till sig Örbyhus från sina kusiner 1548 och gjorde slottet till ett riksfäste. Han lät anlägga vallgravar och en hög stenmur runt sin farfars borg.

Vid arvskiftet efter Gustav Vasa 1560 tillföll godset hans son Johan. Efter att Johan fängslat sin bror Erik flyttades denne runt mellan olika slott och i oktober 1574 fördes Erik till Örbyhus som fånge. Han dog på slottet tre år senare, troligen förgiftad av arsenik på order av sin bror.

Generalen och fältmarskalken Gustaf Banér var en av ägarna under stormaktstiden. Han lät bygga om fästningen till ett barockslott, så att det fick ungefär det utseende det har idag. Med hjälp av arkitekten Simon de la Vallée anlade han även en renässansträdgård vid slottet.

Bild 1 och 2: Örbyhus slott. Bild 3 - 8: Interiörer.

En dansbandscover på Black Sabbaths Paranoid av Leif Norbergs orkester: https://youtu.be/QJXsfHYHxLg?is=O4O0O9W\_qxm3GeGz

Paranoid i original: https://youtu.be/0qanF-91aJo?is=jtvOTdpmSa1Izc3Y