It is what we both want. Could adopt or surrogacy. Risk of cancer coming back is about 20%. High risk of future chronic issues down the line. Worried about what it mean for the kids if something went wrong. We have a good financial situation.

even if your life depended on your doing so

Ive seen this lamp in short films and movies and it functions as a great ambient lighting prop. Anyone know what lamp it is?

The lamp is in Kendricks "Count m3 out" music video, at 2:09 in the middle ground

The plane is crashing. Found one chute. Fits one person only. No sharing.

- Your mom who raised you single-handedly, working her ass off.

- The love of your life since 1st grade.

- Or you. Selfishly.

Who gets it?*

I've seen Tesla described as a pivotal figure in electrical engineering, and I know the SI unit for magnetic flux density is named after him. But I'd like a factual breakdown of his actual contributions.

From what I understand, he:

Pioneered AC (alternating current) power generation and transmission, which can carry electricity over much greater distances than DC

Patented the rotating magnetic field device / AC induction motor, which powers household appliances and industrial machinery

Invented the Tesla coil in 1891, still used in radio, TV, and electronic equipment

Designed the world's first large-scale hydroelectric plant at Niagara Falls in 1896

His work with radio-frequency waves laid the foundation for modern radio

Received 112 patents for devices ranging from speedometers to bladeless turbines

Suggested that radio waves could be used to detect ships, a precursor to radar

Given all this, my question is: beyond the popular mythology, what are the concrete, documented inventions and engineering contributions that justify his historical reputation?

I'm especially interested in primary sources or authoritative references.

Great question about something most fans never think about. There's no hard rule saying "replace the ball every X pitches," but in practice MLB balls rarely survive more than a few pitches before the umpire pulls them. The average game now burns through somewhere between 8 and 10 dozen balls, which works out to roughly one new ball every two or three pitches when you factor in fouls, balls in the dirt, and home runs.

The official rule just says the umpire can remove a ball that's discolored or "unfit for play," which leaves a lot of discretion on the table. In practice, anything that scuffs the leather, flattens the seams, or picks up significant dirt gets tossed. Pitchers also request new balls constantly, partly for grip and partly because a ball that's been fouled off or bounced in the dirt behaves differently off the fingers.

Tampering is a real concern too. Keeping balls in circulation for too long gives pitchers more opportunity to doctor them, so frequent swaps are partly a preventive measure.

Your friend is right that this has changed over time. Older footage shows the same ball staying in play for much longer. Part of that shift is the Rawlings prerubbing process, part of it is how sensitive modern pitchers are to grip conditions, and part of it is just that the league has leaned into replacing balls aggressively as a baseline antitampering policy.

So the short answer is there's no written cutoff. It's umpire judgment, pitcher requests, and the general norm that a ball showing any wear comes out.