Hivemind Times Issue #85

Welcome To The Hivemind Times!

What's good my peptide filled dung beetles. This is Graydon and you are reading The Hivemind Times. 

Boy it’s been a fun week over here. Besides frolicking in the Michigan springtime, we are still cranking out content for you little pigs. We had an awesome special guest this week that you will see in a week or so. We dropped jeopardy on your head tops and hopefully a second channel giggle fest today. 

This week's newsletter will be filled with coupons and local advertisements for vacuum rentals. I sincerely hope you enjoy your life.

- Graydon

WEEKLY PLAYLIST

Fresh finds from Graydon.

SUNS OUT, DRINKS OUT

ALBUM RECS

Hunter Viers with an album selection.

“Not much of a deep cut but listened to the whole thing last night…incredible stuff”

QUINN’S CHEMISTRY CLASS

Don’t mix bleach with anything

I used to work at a cat rescue in Jersey City that was actually just a duplex that a kind woman rented out and housed about 60 abandoned cats, while trying to give them new homes. One of the tasks I was trained to complete my first day, by the already active worker, was to clean the floors. She then proceeded to pour Pine Sol all over the floor, followed by bleach. I stood there, dumbfounded as we both watched and heard the resulting solution sizzle and give off some type of steam like looking vapor. 

10 seconds later, my eyes began watering and I could barely breathe. I proceeded to tell her that the gas coming off the floor is chloramine gas and is extremely toxic and that she should never do that again, if anything for the safety of the cats. I doubt she listened to me. Turns out there are many other household chemicals that, when mixed with bleach, can easily send you to the hospital.

Bleach is sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), when dissolved in water it becomes a powerful oxidizing agent with a ph between 9-11. Hypochlorous acid is formed in solution, which is unstable and dissociates into O+ ions which are released into the solution oxidizing everything in their path to balance their oxidation states.

The most famous example is mixing bleach with ammonia. This reaction also produces chloramine gas, which is basically just ammonia with a chlorine attached. It is rarely fatal but is a severe irritant of respiratory and moist tissue, it reacts in the presence of moisture to form hypochlorous acid and ammonia. Urine also has ammonia based molecules and pouring bleach into it to clean a toilet will result in the same gas forming.

Mixing bleach with vinegar or most other acids, produces chlorine gas, which is like chloramine gas but even more toxic and is used as a chemical agent by militaries to kill people. Funny enough, mixing bleach with sodium hydroxide (lye or common drain cleaner) which is extremely basic, also produces chlorine gas and is a highly exothermic reaction, which can burn you.

Bleach and hydrogen peroxide produces oxygen gas so violently and exothermically that it can cause an explosion with a spark. Oxygen toxicity is also a possibility if given prolonged exposure.

I can’t really think of any more at the moment but, don’t mix concentrated chemicals together unless you know exactly what is going to happen. All of these reactions have been criminally over simplified but if you find chemistry interesting, bleach reactions are actually a great way to learn because most of these reactions require only a highschool level knowledge to understand.

- Quinn

SPORTS

THE NFL DRAFT

What’s good ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary sports fans, Reese here. The guys asked me to come on here and talk sports with y’all and after minutes of deliberation I said “what the hell, let’s do it”. So I’m gonna cut to the chase here - WE’RE TALKING NFL DRAFT! I got 2 winners and 2 losers for your viewing pleasure coming right up!

WINNER: THE NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS

What a draft for Harbaugh and the Big Blue. Netting the 10th overall pick for an aging nose tackle coming off a down year is an absolute steal. Then, sticking and picking at 5 and being rewarded with arguably the best player in the draft (Arvell Reese, LB/EDGE, Ohio State) just made it even sweeter.

But they weren’t done yet, as they selected who many people said to be the best offensive lineman in the class (Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami (FL) with that same 10th pick they acquired in the Dexter Lawrence trade. Bolstering both sides of the ball with premium players at premium positions? Chef’s kiss, no notes!

LOSER: DUUUUUUVAL

I’d describe the Jacksonville Jaguars’ draft as a rose between thorns. That rose? Emmanuel Pregnon, OL, Oregon. Pregnon was easily a top 50 talent in this class and a top 3 talent at his position, with some (me) having him off the board as early as 22 to the LA Chargers in mock drafts. So needless to say, getting him in the back half of the 3rd round at pick 88 is an A+++ steal.

However, this does not bring up the other terrible picks they made, the worst of which being their first pick. Nate Boerkircher, TE, TA&M was ranked 135th on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board, yet the Jags took him in the second round at 56 overall. Boerkircher is not a bad player at all, but he would’ve been available quite possibly 2 full rounds later than where he was selected. For the sake of time I will not go through every pick but that is just 1 of their many large reaches this year.

WINNER: THE BROWNIES BABY

For the second year in a row the Browns have a haul that ranks them in the top 3 draft grades for me. Their first 3 picks alone (Spencer Fano, OT, Utah - KC Concepcion, WR, TA&M - Denzel Boston, WR, Washington) already had me feeling hot and bothered, but then they add ANOTHER first round talent in Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo at pick 58?????? You literally couldn’t have hand picked a better first 4 than the Browns did. I think it’s safe to say the Browns are OFFICIALLY a year away!

LOSER: TYLER ALLGEIER

It was all coming together for Tyler Allgeier. As a rookie, he rushed for over 1,000 yards, and was a bright spot on a tough-to-watch Atlanta Falcons offense ( I would know, I watched every second of it). Then, disaster struck as his team drafted a new top dog at his position the very next year with the 8th overall pick in Bijan Robinson. They worked well together for a few years, as one of the better 1-2 punches in the league. Falcons fans loved Bijan, obviously, but Allgeier was equally as cherished for what he brought to the table. Which is why it was bittersweet but expected when Allgeier signed a 2-year, $12.25 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals in March.

Falcons fans were sad to see him go but were so excited to see him get some real RB1 burn. That is, until April 23rd, 2026, when the Cardinals selected future franchise running back Jeremiyah Love with the 3rd overall pick. Tyler Allgeier does not deserve this. He deserves a genuine RB1 role so the rest of the league can truly see how good he is. Allgeier ends up as one of the biggest losers of the draft in my opinion because his own team pulled the chair out from under him for the 2nd time in just 3 years and my heart breaks for him.

Alright that’s all from me folks. Wanna thank the great guys at Hivemind for letting me come on and do a little column for y’all. I’m truly passionate about this stuff so it means a lot that I get to talk about it for an audience sometimes! Check out CHEAP SEATS!!!! I help over there sometimes so when you say good things about it it also makes me happy. Have a lovely rest of your week.

- Reese West

LIVE SHOW REVIEW

We all got to enjoy our friend Field Medic perform at El Club in Detroit last week and man let me tell you that dude makes some amazing music. If you haven’t listened please do and when you have and it’s been a while, I urge you to return. One of the purest souls and it shines bright through his work. All love to him and go see him if he drops by your town.

- Graydon

VIDEO GAMES

CRIMSON DESERT REVIEW

I’ve had a lot of spare time lately. To be honest, I haven't had much going on at all. But all of a sudden, everything changed. Just before this empty hole in my life consumed me entirely, something new came along.

From what I initially heard about Crimson Desert, the idea sounded questionable. I wouldn’t consider myself a consistent gamer, and without any online capabilities (aka Battlefield 6, with Graydon pressuring me to play til 2am on a Tuesday night) I generally lose interest. Just the size of the map alone was concerning, as it allegedly takes two hours to cross on horseback. There were also complaints of debilitating glitches and a poorly structured story/quest system. These reddish flags were enough to keep me from buying it on release. But as the gaping hole in my life continued to grow, I needed something to fill it before it reached “void” levels of emptiness. 

A few weeks after release, I saw a few friends become totally enveloped in this game. They would not stop raving about it, so decided to give it a try. The first 10 hours (not kidding) were a slog. That was to be expected, apparently, because the world of Crimson Desert is vast and deep enough to require a ton of time to establish your place in it. The countless crafting, combat control, and quest unlock systems were absolutely dizzying at first, as the game provides little to no real-time explanation of anything.

Maybe if I didn’t have this giant, gaping hole in my life then I would’ve quit after hour 20, as it continued to feel like setup at that point. Still, fueled by my circumstances, I pushed through it. The confusion began to fade as I learned how to navigate this overwhelming new world. I began to master the intricate Mortal Kombat-esque control system, unlock some experience-altering upgrades, and make friends with some powerful figures. Slowly, this world started to make sense.

Once I made it to the other side, the Crimson Desert became nothing short of incredible. I haven’t experienced this level of immersion, investment, and pure childlike wonder since I first discovered MDMA as a teen. Once you master the Mortal Kombat-level control system, unlock enough upgrades, and amass enough resources, the experience becomes unrecognizable from where you started. From your character's humble beginnings as a dollar-store Jon Snow obsessed with wolves (my ex would describe me similarly), you become whoever you want to be in this surprisingly open-ended fantasy sandbox.

The main critiques of this game, besides the glitches that naturally occur with its unusually large map, were the lack of story and role-playing elements. After all, this game was originally meant to be an online RPG and made the switch to single-player in the middle of its 5-year development process. The scars of this change are apparent in the lack of depth in its story, as the plot is forgettable and character development is somewhat absent from the main story. 

But here’s the thing: Crimson Desert is not about a story, or characters, or any context at all. It’s about seamless, endless, open-ended exploration. As I made my way through this world full of constant surprises, it didn’t seem to matter what anything was or where it came from. The game is designed so well that the individual adventures were more than fulfilling enough. Each side quest and new area stands on its own as a meaningful experience, and they all blend together to provide meaning to this world without any strong central narrative or parasocial connection to its characters. 

As I continued to play this game, I began to realize the harsh truth of most of today's video games. To appease their miserable, soulless shareholders, today's developers design games to further extract cash from players AFTER purchase. Meanwhile, Crimson Desert demands no additional payments once you buy the game. It was designed to be purchased one time and played through as-is, without any further cash demanded from you. 

Following the decision not to offer online play, the studio behind this game used the resulting creative freedom to build something that’s sorely lacking in modern products: depth of quality. Without the chaos of thousands of players in one world, they had the luxury of centering the experience around you, the player. Building on this unusual trend of actually caring about their customers, the developers have released several updates to the game based on real player feedback. As a result, the game has consistently improved as players continue to explore this world. Even over a month after release, I haven’t heard of a single person who’s “done” with the game. Most are just excited for more.

This might be the most time I’ve ever spent playing a video game, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I’m nowhere near the end of the story mode, and it doesn’t even matter. There is so much to still explore, discover, create, destroy, and overcome. So the question remains: is this game for you? In short, yes, as long as you have the time and ability to set boundaries. If you lack either of these, this game will ruin your life. Even with the empty, endless void laying siege to my life, I have found myself setting alarms so I don’t end up playing this game all night. After all, this beast of an open-world sandbox demands respect. 

And if done right, it’ll change your damn life.

- Andy

POEM OF THE WEEK

Ernest Hemmingway (1899-1961)

The Fish That Got Away

Old man hands, rope-bitten, tough as reef—
Cast out hope with each line’s heave.
Dawn broke red over Gulf Stream bone,
The sea, she whispered, leave it alone.

Tug. A jerk. Then nothing but weight—
Like pulling on the edge of fate.
It ran deep, godless, cold and true,
A thing too big for a world this blue.

Reel sang like a drunk in pain,
Salt in my eyes, sun on my brain.
The boat spun slow in its quiet fight,
While silence grew from a vanished bite.

I lost it—yes. Not just a fish.
It took something a man can’t wish.
A piece of soul with silver scales,
Gone where the dark tide never tells.
I lit a smoke. I let it go.

BOOKS

Here’s what Graydon’s reading if you want to join

Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan

A Season In Hell by Arthur Rimbaud (always)

Pimp: The Story of My Life by Iceberg Slim (lol)

MERCH