There are many types of videos you can make to make money on YouTube, but arguably the easiest type is where you do nothing but walk around somewhere interesting. For example, here are a few YouTube channels dedicated to walking tours.
According to SocialBlade, their estimated monthly earnings is between $157 and $2.5K and their estimated annual earnings is between $1.9K and $30.1K. We can also see their estimated earnings for each video.
Let’s check another channel’s estimated revenue.
@t0urister
This channel makes between $634 and $10.1K per month and between $7.6K and $121.8K per year. With this type of income, you can quit your job and literally just walk around to make a living (plus some minor video editing).
Camera
If you want to start your own YouTube walking tour channel, you’re going to need a camera. One of the cheapest and smallest cameras with impressive features for its price range is the DJI Osmo Pocket 3.
If you don’t want to hold the camera in your hand, you can mount it on your chest or a backpack strap for hands-free filming.
According to one of the most famous studies of anabolic steroids by Bhasin and colleagues
you can gain more than double the amount of muscle from using steroids than if you didn’t use steroids
you can gain almost double the amount of muscle from using steroids and without training than if you trained without using steroids
600 mg of steroids per week
It’s clear that steroid use makes a huge difference in your ability to grow muscle. The test above was conducted by given each subject 600 mg of steroids per week, which is the amount for entry-level bodybuilders, as indicated in the chart below.
High-level competitive bodybuilders typically take between 1000 – 5000 mg of steroids per week.
Interestingly, by just taking 600 mg of steroids per week, people can gain on average 1 lb of muscle per week without even lifting weights.
Average, not max, lean mass gained
To see the difference in body size between a natty (natural) bodybuilder and a bodybuilder who take steroids, consider Shaun Clarida, Mr. Olympia 212 Division Champion in 2020 and 2022.
Below are photos of Shaun before and after taking steroids. With steroids, he gained 3 times the amount of muscle that he was able gain naturally.
Genetics affect the ability to grow muscle and response to steroid use
According the chart below, the worst responding subject gained only 9 lbs of muscle in 20 weeks whereas the best responding subject gained 31 lbs of muscle in 20 weeks. This study was done where each subject simply took 600 mg of steroids every week and without lifting any weights.
Average muscle gain
The table below shows average muscle gain depending on whether you are a natural bodybuilder (no steroids), an enhanced bodybuilder (you take 600 mg of steroids per week), or a very enhanced bodybuilder (you take between 1000 – 5000 mg of steroids per week). The figures below refer to pure muscle gain, not total weight gain. People can gain more mass than the numbers shown, but some of that mass will be fat. Also, the figures below are averages. Some people will gain more, and some will gain less. Women can multiply the figures by ~60%.
Steroid Misuse Consequences
Following are some possible health consequences of steroid misuse according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
First, you need to design your shirt by finding some images. You want the images to be SVGs so that you can scale the image without losing quality. To make the shirt shown above, I searched Google for “visit California logo svg”.
I found a “California” logo that I like, but I needed to edit it to remove the “visit” part.
I then searched for “california bear svg” and found a bear image that I liked.
After doing some image editing, I ended up with these 2 images.
Determine printed image dimensions
Lay your shirt down and, using a tape measure, decide how wide each image will be. For the “California” logo that would go over the chest, I chose 9 inches.
For the bear image that would go on the sleeve, I chose 5 inches.
These dimensions are not final. We will preview the design using cardstock (thick paper) first before using vinyl.
Import the images into Cricut Design Space
Download, install, and open Cricut Design Space. Follow the guided setup. Then, click the Canvas tab and then the “Upload” icon to upload each image. For the “California” text, I uploaded a large PNG on a transparent background and then set the width to 9 inches.
Do the same for the bear image. Since the Cricut Explore 2 machine can accommodate vinyl up to 12 inches wide and my video is 12 inches wide, I positioned the bear image below the “California” text.
After setting the width of the bear to 5 inches. I selected both image layers in the right column and chose “Attach” so that I could cut both images at the same time.
Cut images from the cardstock
In Cricut Design Space, click the green “Make” button. You will see a preview of the images on the mat.
You will see a preview of the design on the board. To make weeding easier, cut a sheet of 65lb cardstock large enough to accommodate the design. In this case, I round up to the nearest inch, so my cardstock will be 10″ x 6″.
Then, place the cardstock on the lightgrip mat as shown in the preview above.
Click “Continue”. Connect the Cricut machine to your computer via bluetooth or USB. Once Cricut Design Space detects your machine, you will follow a 3-step process to cut the images on your chosen material.
Make sure the dial on the machine is set to “Custom” because we will choose the material type in Cricut Design Space.
For step 1 (Set Base Material), click “Browse All Materials” and choose “Value Cardstock – 65 lb (176gsm)” since that’s the material we’re going to use first.
For step 2 (Load tools and material), make sure the correct blade is loaded in the correct clamp, load the material into the machine, and then press the flashing Load/Unload button on the machine.
When you press the “Load/Unload” button, the machine will grab and pull the mat a little to prepare it for cutting.
For step 3 (Press Go), just press the flashing “Go” button on the machine. Since we are printing on cardstock, where both sides of the cardstock are the same, we don’t need to toggle the “Mirror” option.
Once cutting is complete, click the “Load/Unload” button to unload the mat.
Notice the outline in the cardstock showing where the cardstock was cut.
Remove the cut images from the cardstock
Remove the cardstock from the mat and separate the cut images from the rest of the cardstock. Use a weeding tool, if needed.
You should be left with this.
Preview cut images on a shirt
We’ll want to preview how the cut images appear on our shirt. To do this, cut the transfer tape in the size as the cardstock – in this case, 10″ x 6″. Cut straight lines as that will make it easier to center and position the design on the shirt.
Remove the transfer tape from its backing.
Place the transfer tape over the cut images and press it on the cut images.
Remove the transfer tape using a weeding tool to keep the cut images stuck to the tape.
Cut the transfer tape around the individual images.
Wear your shirt and place the cut images on the shirt where you want them to go.
The size of the “California” text looks good to me.
The size of the bear, on the other hand, looks way too big.
Iterate
Since the bear looks too big, I’ll reduce the size from 5″ wide to 4″ and 3″, repeat some of the previous steps, and see how that looks.
This is how the 4″-wide bear looks on the sleeve of the shirt. It still looks too big.
This is how the 3″-wide bear looks. I think that’s a good size.
Now that we have our images and final dimensions, we’re ready to cut the images on heat-transfer vinyl (HTV) and iron them on our shirt.
Prepare images
Follow the same steps as above except instead of a 4″-wide bear, make it 3″ wide.
Trim heat-transfer vinyl
The vinyl I bought is an 8-foot long roll that is 12 inches wide. Since our mat is 12″ x 12″, I cut it to make it easier to work with.
I actually have some leftover vinyl from a previous project, so I’m going to use that.
Cut images from the vinyl
In Cricut Design Space, click “Make” and then “Continue”.
For step 1 (Set Base Material), click “Browse All Materials” and choose “Everyday Iron-on”
For step 2, you’ll notice 2 things:
For iron-ons, the “mirror” must be turned on. This flips the images so that when they are ironed on, they appear correctly. Cricut Design Space automatically toggles this on for you.
You need to place the iron-on material face (shiny side) down on the mat.
For step 3 (Press Go), go ahead and press go to start cutting.
Trim heat-transfer vinyl
Remove the vinyl from the mat and trim away material from the designs. To make it easier to position and align the designs on a shirt, I like to cut straight lines around the designs so I end up with perfect rectangles.
Remove the dull side of the vinyl
Use a weeder tool, if necessary.
You should be left with your designs on a transparent liner.
Determine design placement on shirt
Measure where you want the designs to be on the shirt. I’m going to position the top part of the “California” text to be about 3.75″ from the top as shown below.
Turn on heat press
Turn your heat press on and set the target temperature to 315 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the timer to 5 seconds.
Press the designs on the shirt
Put the shirt on a bath towel on a hard surface like the floor.
When the heat press is ready, place it on the shirt for 5 seconds where the design will go. This will remove wrinkles from the shirt.
Set the heat press timer to 30 seconds
Place the design on the shirt exactly where you want it to go. Use this measurement guide to make it easy to center designs.
Optionally, secure the design to the shirt using heat transfer tape.
Place a sheet of teflon on the design to protect the shirt and the heat press.
Place the heat press on the design until the 30 second timer is up.
Wait one minute. Then, remove the transparent liner from the design. If the design comes off the shirt, then put the heat press back on and press firmly on it for another 30 seconds.
Once the transparent liner is removed, I like to put the teflon sheet over the design and apply the heat press once again for 30 seconds.
Now, let’s apply the bear to the sleeve. Lay the shirt down such that the seam is at the bottom and in the middle.
Cut a piece of cardboard and insert it into the sleeve as shown below. We need the surface of the top part of the sleeve to be flat. Otherwise, the design can be ruined due to the bump from the seam.
Remove wrinkles from the shirt by place the heat press on it for 5 seconds.
The brown cardboard could cause discoloration in the white design. Cover the cardboard in the sheets of teflon first as shown below.
Secure the teflon to the cardboard using heat-resistant tape.
Place the design on the sleeve where you want it.
Put a sheet of teflon on the design.
Press the heat press firmly on the design for 30 seconds.
Wait one minute. Remove the transparent liner.
Optionally, place a teflon sheet on the design and apply the heat press again for 30 seconds.
The finished product
Removing vinyl
If you make a mistake, this video will show you how to remove vinyl from your shirt.
Most people assume that all proteins are equal. You read the nutrition labels on foods, and you check how many grams of protein there is.
However, 3 grams of protein from one food source, like beef, is not the same as 3 grams of protein from another, like rice. That’s because not all amino acids that make up proteins can be absorbed as effectively as others.
Macronutrients
Macronutrients are nutrients that the body needs in large quantities to provide energy. The three main macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats:
Fats: Help the body absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K, and are important for feeling full and balancing hormones.
Carbohydrates: Provide energy to the body and are found in foods like rice, pasta, bread, and starchy vegetables.
Proteins: Help repair and rebuild body tissues.
Protein
Proteins are essential nutrients found in the human body and are the major structural component of all cells, including muscle, body organs, hair, and skin health.
Amino acids
Amino acids are molecules that combine to form proteins. Amino acids and proteins are the building blocks of life. When proteins are digested or broken down, amino acids are the result. The human body then uses amino acids to make proteins to help the body:
Break down food
Grow
Repair body tissue
Perform many other body functions
Amino acids are classified into three groups:
Essential amino acids
Nonessential amino acids
Conditionally essential amino acids
Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body. They must come from food. Of the 20 amino acids that make up protein, 9 of them are essential.
Unlike fat and glucose, our bodies do not store proteins. If more amino acids are needed, protein will be taken from the breakdown of muscle fibers. This is why bodybuilders often consume lots of protein: to build muscle and avoid losing muscle.
Different protein food sources have different amounts of amino acids. During food processing and cooking, some of these amino acids are susceptible to damage, and so the amount of amino acids taken up by the body will vary.
DIAAS
DIAAS stands for Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score and is a method of measuring protein quality. It evaluates the proportion of consumed amino acids absorbed and utilized by the body.
No protein quality claim – Score of <75%
Good protein quality – Score ranging from 75% to 99%
Excellent or High protein quality – Score of 100% or more
DIAAS scores of protein sources
Protein Source
DIAAS Score (%)
Protein Quality
Whole Milk Powder
143
High
Milk Protein Concentrate
118
High
Whole Milk
114
High
Egg – Hard Boiled
113
High
Beef
111
High
Whey Protein Isolate
109
High
Chicken Breast
108
High
Soy Protein Concentrate
98.5
Good
Whey Protein Concentrate
98.3
Good
Pea Protein
91.5
Good
Soy Protein
91.5
Good
Wheat
91.5
Good
Soy Protein Isolate
90
Good
Chickpeas
83
Good
Pea Protein Concentrate
82
Good
Mixed Diet: Wheat, Peas and Whole Milk Powder
82
Good
Peas – Cooked
58
Low
Rice – Cooked
59
Low
Rye
47.6
Low
Barley
47.2
Low
Wheat
40.2
Low
Almonds
40
Low
Rice Protein Concentrate
37
Low
Corn-based Cereal
10
Low
Notice in the table above that animal-derived protein is of high quality whereas plant-derived protein is mostly of low quality.
I’ve found the following works best for depending on the scenario.
Driving
If HDR is necessary and you only want to film in one direction, mount the Ace Pro on the windshield facing the front of the vehicle (FPV)
If you want to film both the vehicle occupants and the road, mount the Insta360 X3 on the windshield
Shoot either a regular video or a Timeshift video
Walking (Daytime)
Mount one Insta360 X3 on your chest (FPV). The Ace Pro isn’t a 360 camera, so it will not allow you to reframe later on to get subjects that are not directly in front of the camera.
Hold a second Insta360 X3 or X4 on an extended selfie stick such that the camera is at eye level to film yourself
Walking (Nighttime)
For good image quality, mount the Ace Pro either on your chest or on a selfie stick and use “Pure Video” mode to get good night shots.
If you use the Insta360 X3/X4, the image quality will be much worse.
Hotel Room Tour
Mount the Ace Pro on a selfie stick and film as FPV or film with the screen flipped up so you can film yourself (selfie)
Use “Pure Video” mode because you will be indoors and with unnatural (low) light.
I tried using my phone with a gimbal, but I preferred the simplicity and the results of using the Ace Pro.
Here’s a comparison of the picture quality from taking a snapshot of a video taken by both the X3 and the Ace Pro. As you can see, the Ace Pro picture quality is way better. Click on each image to open the original files.
Snapshot from 360-deg video on X3 – View enlarged imageSnapshot from 4K, 30 fps PureVideo using “Action” (wide) setting on Ace Pro – View enlarged image
Here’s another comparison.
X3 – 1080pAce Pro – 4K PureVideo
Eating
Use X3
Airplane Take-off and Landing
When filming a take-off/landing from a window seat of an airplane, the difficult is keeping the horizon level. Also, with HDR technology, the sky can look overexposed, white, and washed out. If you use a 360 camera, you can adjust the horizon in post, but that’s a hassle. Ideally, use a gimbal, like the one integrated with the DJI Osmo Pocket.
The following information is based on my experience talking to various subject matter experts who are gifted with the ability to see and/or communicate with spirits or who can communicate with spirits via a human medium. I am neither a witch nor an exorcist or someone who practices witchcraft or spiritual healings. Also, the information below is mostly based on the Quran and my experience talking to Muslim and Catholic experts only.
There are many people who claim they know how witchcraft and spiritual healings work. Oftentimes, they are religious people, and they make claims that only their religion can cure one from witchcraft. They also make statements that are not based on any evidence whatsoever, e.g. a victim of witchcraft only suffers because their faith in God is not strong enough, or their suffering is payback for a mistake they’ve made in the past, etc. These claims are all based on assumptions and, therefore, can be incorrect.
Whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, or a Satanic worshipper, many people believe in the unseen (God, the Devil, angels, spirits/jinn, positive/negative energy, etc.), but most people don’t know what invisible creatures can and can’t do.
Two Types of Creatures
First of all, let’s categorize creatures into 2 kinds:
creatures that are visible to the human eye (humans and animals)
creatures that are invisible to the human eye (God, the Devil, angels, spirits/jinn)
Angels
According to the Quran, angels are creatures that are like robots in that they can only obey God’s command. They don’t have free will to do whatever they want, unlike humans and animals.
Spirits
According to the Quran, spirits (jinn) are creatures that are similar to humans. They have free will to do as they please, both good and bad, and they have lives that are similar to those of humans, e.g. they marry, have kids, work, get sick, die, etc. However, unlike humans, some of their differences include the ability to change shape (appear as someone else). Many of them also follow different religions, speak different languages, have different names, and can live to 1000+ years. Spirits were created before humans. Whereas humans are made of clay and mud, spirits are made of smokeless fire [1]. When humans die, their physical organic bodies decompose (except the bones) and become part of the Earth. However, the spirits associated with those physical human bodies are still alive.
Indeed, We created man from sounding clay moulded from black mud. As for the jinn, We created them earlier from smokeless fire.
Note: for more information about spirits, the Quran has a chapter named The Spirits (Al-Jinn).
Seeing and Communicating with the Unseen
Prophets and Messengers of God
According to the Quran, prophets and messengers, like Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, were able to communicate with God. However, they could not see God, and their communication with God was not necessarily direct. Muhammad (SAW), for example, received revelations from God via the angel Gabriel.
Gifted People
Some regular people (non-prophets/messengers) apparently are gifted, often from birth, with the ability to see and communicate with spirits. Many of them inherit this gift, however, the gift can skip a generation. For example, when people die, their souls are still alive in the form of spirits/jinn. These spirits can choose to follow their human descendants and provide them with spiritual guidance and information. The gifted people I’ve spoken to were Muslim and Catholic, but they can be followers of any religion, and there doesn’t appear to be a particular reason why some ancestor spirits choose to follow certain human descendants. The determination as to who is gifted appears to be random as spirits have free will to do whatever they want.
Gifted people who can see spirits may not be able to handle the associated stress. They can even faint regularly as a result of their spiritual ability. For that reason, some gifted people ask that the spirit(s) following them stop being visible.
Sometimes, these gifted people can only sense when the spirits are around or can only communicate after performing a certain ritual, like throwing shells or burning a candle.
Just like regular people, gifted people can use their gifted abilities for both bad (do witchcraft) and good (cure people from witchcraft).
If you are not gifted, you can summon a spirit by opening a portal to the unseen so that you can communicate with it. This is what witches do to communicate with evil spirits. However, if you open a portal with the intent of communicating and getting help from benevolent spirits, you open the door for evil spirits to come in as well. As such, it is very dangerous to perform rituals to open portals to the unseen.
Regular People
It’s also possible for regular people to communicate with spirits. However, this requires a medium (a human who is sensitive to being possessed by spirits). For example, a Muslim person (the caller) can recite certain verses of the Quran in the presence of a medium. At some point, the medium becomes possessed by a spirit. The caller can then have a conversation with the spirit and even call other spirits by name to possess the medium’s body. During the process, the medium’s eyes are usually closed despite their lips moving as they talk. Furthermore, the medium may behave erratically and may even speak a language the medium may not even know since the one talking is actually the spirit. To terminate the possession, the caller tells the spirit to leave the medium, after which the medium opens their eyes and reverts back to their original human self. The medium isn’t aware of anything that happened while being possessed as if they were unconscious the entire time. In this way, the medium has an experience similar to a hypnotism, but they were temporarily possessed as the spirit temporarily possessed (took control over) their body. After the possession, the medium usually feels very tired.
Good and Evil
Good and evil is not something new. It dates all the way back to when Satan disobeyed God and vowed to tempt humans to commit evil (Quran 2:168-169). God created everything, including evil, as proven in verse 2 of chapter 113 (Al Falaq/The Daybreak) of the Quran. The same chapter also makes a reference to
evil caused by blowing into knots, which is likely a ritual that witches perform
evil caused by envious people, which, according to my sources, could be caused by the “evil eye” and “witchcraft”.
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak, from the evil of whatever He [God] has created, and from the evil of the night when it grows dark, and from the evil of those [witches casting spells by] blowing onto knots, and from the evil of an envier when they envy.”
Types of Evil
There are many types of evil. Evil that we are most familiar with is the kind we can see, e.g. poisoning someone, committing murder, etc. In both examples, you seek
a cure from medical doctors
protection from the police
justice from the legal system
Another type of evil, which is far more difficult to detect, is evil caused by the unseen. Witchcraft can be done by doing black magic and/or casting a spell or curse. The evil eye is when someone is jealous of someone and, optionally, wishes bad luck on them. Usually, people commit witchcraft for the following reasons
Money: e.g., they want to unfairly become rich by interfering with anything around them. For example, they may cause a hiring manager to choose them over other, more qualified job candidates, so they get hired and keep getting a promotion.
Envy: e.g., they see their friend, relative, or coworker having something they want, so they cause misfortune for them, e.g. job loss, divorce, illness, etc. For example, a worker in India may be envious of their coworker in the US, who makes way more money, and does witchcraft to cause them to lose their job, or someone who is envious of their friend or relative, who is married to someone they like, and causes them to get a divorce.
Success: this can take the form of success in work and relationships, especially marriage. People can do witchcraft to unfairly make them succeed in work and also to make someone want to marry them.
Revenge: e.g., some people do witchcraft simply because they feel they’ve been wronged and they want revenge.
There are an unlimited number of reasons why someone may do witchcraft. For example, someone may want to buy their neighbor’s house, so they do witchcraft to make it appear unattractive to prospective buyers so no one wants to buy it. They then hope the owners will lower the selling price so they can afford to buy it themselves.
Unless you are witch, you would need to go to a witch to do witchcraft. Similarly, if you are affected by witchcraft, unless you are a spiritual healer, you would need to go to one to get cured from witchcraft, although from healers I’ve talked to, even spiritual healers sometimes need to get cured from witchcraft or spiritual attacks by seeking help from other spiritual healers.
Note: Many religious people believe that faith in and submission to God alone is sufficient for everything, including curing one from witchcraft. If it were this easy, that would be great. Unfortunately, many religious people, including Islamic priests (imams) have been affected by witchcraft, and have realized the need to seek help from others who God has gifted with the ability to help cure people from witchcraft. This does not mean that faith in God is unnecessary. On the contrary, all spiritual healers I’ve talked to, both Muslim and Catholic, have emphasized the importance of faith in addition to the other efforts required to cure one from witchcraft.
As an analogy, if someone has a medical illness, they don’t just pray to God for a cure; they go to a doctor to get help, e.g.; medicine, with the belief that God ultimately is the creator of the cure (medicine), and that doctors are subject matter experts who can advise and help regarding what cures (medicine) can be used for an illness.
Likewise, seeking help from a gifted spiritual healer does not mean that one has lost faith in God; it simply means that they are seeking help from gifted people who God created with the ability to help. In other words, spiritual healers are to spiritual witchcraft what medical doctors are to medical illnesses, both of which can only exist by virtue of God.
Put another way, if someone has a headache, they don’t ask God to cure their headache; they take a headache pill, knowing that God caused humans to discover that cure (the ingredients in the pill). Taking a headache pill doesn’t automatically mean that someone has lost faith in God. However, when taking the pill, people should remember that the cure (a headache pill) indirectly originated from God. Similarly, if someone is afraid of being attacked, they don’t just ask God for physical protection; they ask the police to help, in addition to believing that ultimately God provides protection, whether via the police or not.
The Origins of Witchcraft
According to the Quran, God tested people’s faith by teaching them witchcraft (black magic). At Babylon, two angels, Harut and Marut, taught people witchcraft, but they warned people not to practice witchcraft. Nevertheless, the devils, which likely were evil spirits, convinced disbelieving people to practice witchcraft, particularly to cause divorces. According to the Quran, practicing witchcraft is akin to selling your soul to the devil, and whoever practices witchcraft (or pays a witch to perform witchcraft) will have no share in the Hereafter, i.e. will go to Hell.
And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Hārūt and Mārūt. But they [i.e., the two angels] do not teach anyone without saying, “We are a test, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic].”1 And [yet] they learned from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of God. And they [i.e., people] learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But they [i.e., the Children of Israel] certainly knew that whoever purchased it [i.e., magic] would not have in the Hereafter any share. Miserable indeed was the price for which they sold their souls, if only they knew!
How Witchcraft Works
As mentioned earlier, everyone has the ability to do good and evil, including people who have been gifted to communicate with spirits. These gifted people can do witchcraft, spiritual healing, or both. Ordinary people (people who are not gifted) may be able to learn how to do witchcraft and spiritual healing, but it’s likely more difficult as they may not be able to communicate with the spirits and may not know whether what they’re doing is effective or not. On the other hand, gifted people, who can communicate with spirits, can get confirmation from their good or bad spirits as to whether their efforts, witchcraft or spiritual healing, have any effect.
At a high level, witchcraft works as follows:
An ordinary person (the requestor) finds and tells a witch what evil they want to do
The witch asks for money and gives the requestor a set of tasks they must perform.
The requestor pays the money and performs the tasks.
The witch performs some rituals and asks their bad spirits, with whom the witch are friends or have a pact/agreement, to carry out the evil.
The tasks that the requestor and the witch perform vary depending on the evil requested. Since the evil can only be carried out by bad spirits, usually the bad spirits tell the witch what tasks must be done. This may include desecrating holy books, human sacrifice (e.g. killing a baby), putting menstrual blood in the victim’s drink, sticking needles in a doll and burying it somewhere, etc.
If the requestor fails to perform all the tasks (promises) that the witch told them to do, then the witchcraft may not be effective and may even backfire on the requestor.
How Spiritual Healings Work
If someone is a victim of witchcraft, they would need a spiritual healing, i.e. a process that removes the evil spirits that were sent to inflict suffering on them. To do so, they seek the help of a gifted person called a spiritual healer. At a high level, the process goes like this:
An ordinary person notices strange things happening, e.g. can never find a job, keeps getting a divorce, keeps getting fired, etc.
After too many illogical things happening, the ordinary person eventually becomes suspicious and wonders if they are affected by witchcraft.
The person finds and asks a spiritual healer for a spiritual reading.
The spiritual healer, who works with good and reliable spirits, asks the spirits for information about the person.
The good spirit informs the spiritual healer that the person is a victim of witchcraft. The spirit may provide some details depending on the situation.
With that confirmation, the person (victim) requests a spiritual healing.
The spiritual healer asks the good spirit for the cost. The good spirit responds with an amount, e.g. $2000, and the healer relays it to the victim.
The victim pays the amount and the healing process begins.
The healer has a series of prayers and rituals to perform and gives the victim a set of tasks (promises) to perform as well.
Both the victim and healer carry out those tasks/rituals. The healer may be required to pray to God in a holy place (mosque, church, etc.) at a certain place (in a mosque or church, on a mountain, etc.), light certain candles, etc. The victim may be required to bathe in herbal/floral water, light incense, fast from certain kinds of foods, wear certain clothes, meditate and focus on appreciation in nature, etc.
The healer periodically checks with the good spirit on the status of the healing.
Eventually, the good spirit confirms that all the witchcraft has been removed and the victim should no longer be affected by past witchcraft done to them.
How Evil Spirits Conduct Evil
It’s important to understand that the effect of witchcraft can only be done by evil spirits. For example, if the witchcraft is to make someone feel pain, one or more spirits could enter a human’s body and cause the pain. If the person goes to a medical doctor to look for a medical cause of the pain, the doctor would likely not be able to determine the cause, especially since the spirits can come and go, only creating temporary pain.
In another example, if the witchcraft is intended to cause divorce, the spirits could cause the couple to get into arguments, appear unattractive to each other, prevent pregnancies, etc. If the witchcraft is to get someone fired or to make someone get a job, the spirits could influence relevant people to make mistakes or to simply favor a particular person. They do this by influencing people’s minds. And if the witchcraft was to kill someone, the spirits might distract the victim to cause them to get into a fatal accident.
Evil spirits usually don’t work alone. They can be part of an army of spirits with different spirits having different ranks and job duties.
How Good Spirits Combat Evil
If a country attacks another country using their military, the target country doesn’t sit around and ask God to fight back. Rather, they use their military to do so until the threat is eliminated. Similarly, if someone is attacked by evil spirits as a result of witchcraft, the victim, via a spiritual healer, must use good spirits to fight back. I am not aware of humans fighting directly with evil spirits.
The human world is very similar to the spirit world, but spirits can mess with humans, whereas I am not aware of humans being able to mess with spirits.
When a spiritual healer works with good spirits to cure someone from witchcraft, the good spirits do whatever is needed to eliminate the harm caused by the evil spirits. This may include destroying an object, e.g. a voodoo doll, or physically fighting evil spirits until they leave for good or die. In this regard, it’s no different than how humans eliminate threats from other humans. A spiritual healer has a dedicated good spirit or spirits who they work with to fight the evil spirits. During the healing process, it’s possible for other good spirits and even ancestor spirits of the victim to get involved in helping eliminate the harm caused by the evil spirits. This is why in many cultures like Buddhism and Hinduism you find people giving offerings in the form of things like fruit in an altar dedicated to their ancestors. Though the ancestors are physically dead (the human bodies no longer function), their spirits are still alive.
Accidental Victims of Witchcraft
It’s possible to accidentally become a victim of witchcraft intended for someone else. For example, if a witch performed witchcraft in a house, moved, and then someone else moved in to that same house, the evil spirits that were in that house may haunt and interfere with the lives of the new residents. Haunted houses are simply houses that contain evil spirits.
It’s also possible to become a victim of witchcraft by inheriting the witchcraft or by simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time. For example, if someone carries a lot of negative energy (evil spirits) and you happen to be near that person, some of the evil spirits can jump to you and interfere with your life. If a woman is pregnant and someone does witchcraft to her, the effect of the witchcraft can be inherited by the newborn baby. Unless the witchcraft is destroyed, the baby will be affected by that witchcraft throughout their lives. In another example, if witchcraft was intended for one person, and the target was required to eat or drink something containing a particular ingredient, someone else could be affected by that witchcraft if they accidentally eat or drink the prepared item.
Evil spirits don’t require a witch in order to commit evil against humans. Similarly, good spirits don’t require a spiritual healer to guide and protect humans.
Witchcraft to Become Rich
The two most common ways someone becomes rich due to witchcraft are
someone does witchcraft to themselves to become rich
someone’s relative (wife, mother-in-law, etc) does witchcraft to someone to become rich so they can benefit indirectly from the acquired wealth
Haunted Houses
Strange things happening in haunted houses are not limited to movies. For example, it’s not unusual for spiritual healers to witness seemingly impossible things happening, like inexplicable loud noises, objects falling from a shelf, lights flickering on and off, random objects appearing out of nowhere, and much more. Usually, only spiritual healers can explain the meaning behind these experiences since you need to be able to communicate with spirits to know what other spirits are doing.
Compounding Effects of Witchcraft
When you are physically sick, e.g., with high blood pressure, you are more likely to get other illnesses as well. Similarly, if you are affected by witchcraft, you are more likely to attract more witchcraft the longer you wait to get healed by a spiritual healer. For example, if the first witchcraft done to you was intended to ruin your life, it can block you from finding a job, getting a promotion, getting married, etc. However, the evil spirits that are interfering with your life can make matters worse for you by only letting you get a job the spirit knows you will hate or only letting you marry someone who does witchcraft. In other words, the evil spirit from the first witchcraft draws you closer to bad people who also do witchcraft, thereby increasing the chances of you becoming a victim of multiple sources of witchcraft. In this sense, the effect of one source of witchcraft can multiply, resulting in harm caused by multiple sources of witchcraft.
Statistics
Among the entire world population,
40% of people perform some form of witchcraft (that’s almost one in every two people)
70% of people are affected by witchcraft
40% of the 70% affected by witchcraft have it in themselves to get help
30% of the 70% affected by witchcraft don’t get help. Examples are some of the homeless alcoholics and drug addicts.
Witchcraft as a Test From God
Many religious Muslims and Christians who face adversity and struggles in life claim that their experiences are simply a test from God. While the Quran does mention in 2:155 the fact that God tests mankind,
And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient,
that doesn’t mean that people should solely wait for God to make things better without making an effort to find a solution to their problems, including seeking spiritual help. Faith must be accompanied by effort in order to realize any changes/improvements.
Positive and Negative Energy
Most people would agree that negative energy attracts negative energy. The experts I’ve talked to have also repeatedly said so, which is why they emphasize the importance of not sharing one’s negative experiences as a victim of witchcraft with other people. While I have not been able to verify that this actually happens, it’s reasonable to believe that it does happen, so if you must share your negative experiences with others, you should limit it as much as possible.
What Happens When You Die
People can die from natural causes (e.g., old age) and unnatural causes (e.g., black magic). When people die naturally, they often see a light and are drawn to it. They are supposed to go to the light, which may be where Heaven is. However, some spirits may not want to go to the light or may not even see a light. For example, some people who die due to black magic may refuse to go to the light as they prefer to stay in the human world. These spirits are stuck between the human world and the afterlife. They may roam around invisible to humans, or they may stay in someone’s house. If they are evil, the house may become what is commonly referred to as a “haunted house.” These spirits that are stuck between the human world and the afterlife can be benevolent or evil, and they may voluntarily choose to help or hurt humans.
Conclusion
Ultimately, only God, who created both good and evil, has the final say on what good and evil can happen, but based on all the evil that exists in the world, it appears that God expects people to use the good resources that he put on Earth to combat evil, including seeking the help of gifted spiritual healers to combat witchcraft.
So Now What?
If you suspect that something isn’t normal in your life, you can get a spiritual checkup with a spiritual healer. The checkup involves getting a “reading”, where the healer communicates with their good spirits to find out if there are evil spirits interfering with your life, whether caused by witchcraft or not. They will be able to get specific information about you that would be impossible for a stranger to know. This is a clue that they are legit and can communicate with spirits. Unfortunately, some so-called spiritual healers are scammers, so it’s important to shop around. It’s like getting multiple diagnoses from multiple mechanics when there’s an issue with your car. If multiple healers tell you the same thing, then most likely they’re all telling you the truth. However, some healers may only provide limited information, whereas others can go deep into your past and uncover the source of the witchcraft that has been affecting you. Once you’ve confirmed that you’re a victim of witchcraft, you can choose a healer to get a healing.
There may be times when you want to listen to a popular song, but you just want an instrumental version of it. There are many tools that use AI to remove vocals from a song, but unless you are making a track for karaoke, where you’d provide your own vocals, simply removing the vocals from a song will not result in music you’d care to listen to. For example, if you search YouTube for an instrumental version of a song, you’ll find many where the vocals were simply removed – and with poor quality at that. A better instrumental version of a song is one made by replacing vocals with instrument, e.g. piano, saxophone, etc. Compare the 3 audio clips below.
Audio clip with original vocals
Audio clip with vocals simply removed (somewhat imperfectly)
Audio clip with vocals replaced with Alto Saxophone instrument
Audio clip with vocals replaced with Chill Wave Synth instrument
You will have to option to choose how many tracks to split the song into. Since we’re only interested in replacing the vocals, you can choose “4 Tracks”. Then, click the “Split” button.
BandLab will upload the song audio file and take a minute to split the audio.
When it’s done, click “Open in Studio”.
You will see the 4 tracks in the Studio.
4. Convert voice to MIDI
Right-click on the “Vocals” track and click “Audio to MIDI” > “Voice to MIDI”.
5. Change the MIDI track to one of 370+ instruments
You’ll see a new track below the “Vocals” track called “Audio-to-MIDI”.
On the “Vocals” track, click the “M” button to mute that track. The track’s soundwave will gray out.
6. Choose an instrument
Click on the “Audio-to-MIDI” track.
Click “Studio Grand” (the default instrument” to open the “Browse Instruments” dialog. Click on the play button to the left of an instrument to preview the sound. Search for an instrument by typing the instrument’s name in the search field. I will type “sax” and then click the “Alto Saxophone” instrument.
7. Preview the instrumentalized song
On the “Audio-to-MIDI” track, move the vertical playbar to the beginning of some signals in the track.
Click the Play button to preview the song.
Experiment with different instruments.
Optionally, lower the volume of the “Audio-to-MIDI” track if that produces a better result.
8. Tweak MIDI notes
Some of the MIDI notes probably won’t sound right. You’ll need to tweak them.
Click the “Audio-to-MIDI” track.
Click the “MIDI Editor” button at the bottom left.
Click on a MIDI note (a single blue bar to the right of the vertical piano keys) to hear the note.
Left-click and drag the MIDI note up or down to change the sound.
9. Export audio
When you’re satisfied with the preview, download the audio by clicking Project > Download > Mixdown As”
One of my rental properties is a triplex in Stockton, California. The roof uses standard residential shingles and has an area of about 4000 square feet. I got a roof replacement quote from a licensed contractor that specializes in roofing on May 10, 2023, for $28,270. Here are the details:
Tear off existing 1 layer of composition roofing
Any dry rot will be an extra charge to replace. Dry rot repair labor rate is $85.00 per hour per man plus material.
Roofing will be limited lifetime Certainteed Landmark Solaris cool shingle over one layer of Certainteed Roof Runner synthetic underlayment.
Venting per title 24 codes. 11 intake vents and 11 exhaust vents.
New pipe flashing painted to match roof color.
Certainteed Sure-Start 4 Star Warranty (10-yr. labor warranty % 50-year material warranty)
New TPO membrane roofing in dead valley
Includes building permit and dump fees.
New 5″ gutters with new down leaders an extra $3700
I got a quote from an all-purpose contractor who could do the job for $26,000. Here are the details:
Replace roof with California Cool shingles
Replace any dry rot
Underlayment would be felt paper, not synthetic underlayment
Since I think these quotes are outrageous, I decided to replace the roof myself with some friends, one of whom happens to be a roofer. Here’s how I did it.
Set up a ladder
A ladder must be on the job site for the Building Inspector’s use. The ladder must be set up to meet the following minimum standards.
The ladder shall meet OSHA Standards and be rated a minimum of 250 lbs.
Find a level, hard, slip-resistant spot on the ground free of debris to set the ladder feet on.
The ladder shall extend no less than 36 inches above the edge of the roof at the point providing access and secured (tied off).
Place the feet of the ladder at a distance of 1⁄4 the height of the ladder away from the building. In other words, if the ladder is 8 feet tall, place the bottom of the ladder 2 feet away from the building. If the ladder is 12 feet tall, place the bottom 3 feet from the building.
If you have a gutter, slip a 2 x 4 into it to keep it from being crushed by the ladder.
Note: Inspectors will not walk on tile roof coverings or pitches exceeding 5/12. Ladders are still required for access to the roof edge for these inspections. If a ladder is not provided or if the ladder does not meet the minimum requirements listed above, the inspection will be canceled. If a second inspection request is canceled for lack of access, a reinspection fee will be issued.
To measure the roof area, I took a screenshot of the roof from a satellite view in Google Maps. I then annotated the roof with letters, printed out the image, and took it with me on the roof.
Tear Off: Yes You can have up to 2 layers of shingles. If you have one layer, you can add another layer on top of the first layer. If you have 2 layers, then you’ll need to tear off both layers. I had one layer, but I decided to just tear it off anyway.
Resheet: No Resheeting is to replace all plywood under the shingles.
Structure: Main Structure
Original Roofing Material: 30yr Laminated Dimensional Composition
New Roof Material Product Information: Cool Roof CRRC ID 0676-0133,
Area: 45 squares (1 square = 100 sqft)
Conditioned Space: No A conditioned space is a space between the roof and the ceiling that is air conditioned to be hot or cold.
Roof slope < 2:12 pitch? No Most residential roofs in California have between a 4/12 and 9/12 slope. Roofs with a pitch exceeding 9/12 are called steep slope roofs.
Reroof less than 50% of the entire roof area: No
Once you get your permit, you must post it on the building. The city inspector will look for it when they come to inspect the work.
Inspections
According to the permit, one inspection is required and some are depending on need.
On the permit, there will be a form for the inspection to fill out for each inspection type.
In my case, I don’t think the special inspection (019) is needed, but the other two are needed.
The permit also indicates that the following inspections are needed:
After removal of existing roofing for the plywood deck inspection.
After new plywood or OSB sheathing is installed for the nailing inspection.
After the project is complete for the final inspection
Inspections can be scheduled online at Stocktonca.gov/scheduleInspection. When you enter your permit ID, you’ll see some inspection options.
For the inspections, I would choose 015 Roof.
Inspections will occur between 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM. When you schedule an inspection, you can request an AM time window (7:30 AM to 12 PM) or a PM time window (12 – 4 PM) in the “Notes to inspector” field.
UPDATE: After scheduling the first inspection, the city inspector called and said that
he’d be at the site between 11 AM and 1 PM
the City of Stockton doesn’t require in-progress inspections, just final inspections.
So, I canceled the in-progress inspection and will just schedule one final inspection when the roof is complete.
Remove old roof
You’ll need to remove the old shingles and the underlayment (tar paper or synthetic underlayment).
You may also need to remove old roofing materials in places like the dead valley. In my case, there was a metal sheet and old TPO material.
If the fascia boards are rotten, you should remove and replace them as well. Use a pry bar and a metal-cutting blade to cut nails holding the fascia board in place.
For long pieces of fascia board on the 2nd story, you’ll need multiple workers laying down on the roof and leaning over to pull the boards off.
When disposing of the old roof, it’s easiest to park a dump truck in the driveway so you can throw the old roof materials from the roof into the truck. You can rent dump trailers from Home Depot, but then you need a truck to haul the trailer and you need a driver. Also, the trailers at Home Depot may not be available when you need them. In my case, I hired a guy who has a dump truck.
When you’re at the dump, you can just dump the garbage mechanically rather than by hand.
Buy new roof materials
I bought 15 pieces of 2x6x16′ wood for the fascia. You can find boards as long as 20′. However, some edges are longer than 20′, so you’d still have to splice two pieces together, which can be done using a galvanized tie plate.
I also bought 9 sheets of 4×8 OSB plywood to replace any rotten parts of the roof deck.
Paint fascia boards
Make sure to paint the fascia boards before installing them, including the ends after making any cuts. Paint protects the wood and delays rotting.
Install fascia boards
Installing the fascia boards is also a multi-person job.
Nails are shot into the wood using a pneumatic nail gun.
Static roof vents allow air to escape from the attic. Often multiple static roof vents are needed to adequately ventilate the attic. Roof vents should be evenly spaced across the roof and installed just below the peak of the roof where heated air will rise. Learn more.
Use this magnetic chest mount for hands-free FPV (first-person view) filming. The camera should be positioned upside down to lay flat on your chest.
Daytime Video Recording
Choose “Freeframe video” mode.
Ratio: 4:3 (in the Studio app, change it to 16:9)
Active HDR: On
Resolution: 4K (this is the only option)
Frame Rate: 30 fps is good enough (this is the highest frame rate that supports HDR)
Horizon lock: choose 360-degree horizon lock
Slow Motion Video Recording
Choose “slow motion” mode to record a video with a high frame rate. Allows you to shoot in 240 frames per second in 1080P, or up to 120 frames per second in 4K.
Night Shots and Low-Light Scenes
Choose “Pure Video” mode.
FlowState Stabilization
There are 3 stabilization options: Off, Low, Standard, and High. Choose High for very shaky situations. Note that the high setting will result in more cropping.
Field of View (FOV)
Choose Dewarp to experience a wide FOV with minimal distortion. This is ideal for scenarios such as skiing and vlogging.
Quickly cancel a recording
You can quickly cancel a recording if you’ve messed up by long-holding the shutter button while recording.
Pause recording
If you have some downtime during a shot, for example, you’re waiting at an intersection or for something to happen, tap the screen while recording (at the bottom) to pause your recording. You can then tap to resume at any time.
Quick Capture
When the camera is off, press the shutter button to start shooting with QuickCapture. The camera will start shooting using the last-used shooting mode.
Pre-recording
Save 15 or 30 seconds of footage before you start recording. This can be handy if you want to catch something on film that is imminent.
Interval (long period)
Take a series of single photos over a long period of time. The photos can then be combined into a timelapse.
Burst (short period)
Take a series of photos in a short period of time (up to 10s). One use case is if you are alone and want to take a selfie or if you are with someone who is not good at taking photos. You can set the burst setting to 30p/10s, meaning 30 pictures in 10 seconds. Then, you can stand, smile, try different poses, etc, and later pick the best shots.
Timelapse (for static, fixed-position shots)
Create a timelapse video that condenses a long scene into a short video by taking a photo at a set interval. Use a tripod or fix the camera in one spot.
Shoot length: infinite, 3m, 5m, 10m, … 10h
Interval: 0.5s, 1s, 2s, … 120s
For example, let’s say you want to film yourself having dinner on an airplane. You expect you will take 30 minutes to eat, so you choose 30m for “shoot length”. Then, you can adjust the interval to see how long the timelapse video will be. For example,
interval = 0.5s, => timelapse duration = 2m
interval = 10s, => timelapse duration = 6s
The timelapse duration is shown on the screen.
Timeshift (for moving shots)
This is like a moving time-lapse.
Auto-stop Recording
If you want to shoot a video and have the camera auto-stop recording, you can set the duration to one of the preset values. The default is infinity (until the battery dies). Other options include 15s, 30s, … 3h, etc.
Inconspicuous shooting
If you want to film without people knowing that you’re filming, you can do the following to make people think that the camera is turned off.
Turn off the indicator light so there’s no flashing red light on the camera.
Turn off “Front Screen Display”
Use the GPS remote to start and stop shooting without touching the camera.
Disclaimer: I have not tested these methods yet, but theoretically they should work.
On Steering Handle
Use a U-bolt mount on the left handle grip. Use a selfie stick so you can see more of the driver in your shots. You can have the camera positioned in front of the driver or to the left or right of the driver.
If you have the selfie stick going over the steering unit, you may need to secure it in place using endless ratchet straps. You may need to loop the ratchet strap around the selfie stick once or twice to keep it from moving around.
If you have a life vest with straps, you can secure your camera with selfie stick between the vest and the straps.
However, if you want to extend the selfie stick to get a bird’s-eye-view shot, then you’ll need to do more. One way is by inserting the long selfie stick between your body next and the vest next to your shoulder. To prevent the bottom of the stick from moving around, wear a belt that has a stick holder. To prevent the stick from moving around near your shoulder, hold it against the vest using a reusable rubber twist tie. If you use the 10′-long Insta360 selfie stick, the bottom of the stick is too large to fit in the stick holder in the belt. As a workaround, you can connect the Insta360 tripod attachment to the selfie stick and then insert that attachment into the belt. Another option is to remove the stick holder in the belt and screw the selfie stick to the belt using a 1/4″ male-to-male camera screw.
On Arm
You can rig together a selfie stick mount on your arm as pictured below. The benefit of this is you can move the camera around hands-free. Learn more.
Other Spots
Depending on the jet ski, you may be able to use endless ratchet straps to secure a selfie stick to other areas like the front, where the rear-view mirrors are, and the rear passenger handle. You can also use a suction mount, as pictured below, but you may want to tether it to the jet ski using a lanyard in case the suction mount fails while riding.
Since I have the following cameras
two Insta360 X3 (360-degree action cameras)
one Insta360 Ace Pro (traditional, single-direction action camera)
I would use the following setup on a rented jet ski:
When speeding, keep the selfie stick retracted to avoid it breaking due to rough motion. You can get an FPV (first-person view) facing the direction of motion.
When not speeding, you can turn the camera on and then extend the stick upwards. This will allow you to get a bird’s eye view of everything around you.
Usage: Screw the U-bolt mount around the left handle. Screw the camera to the 10′-long selfie stick and screw the selfie stick to the U-bolt mount. Position the U-bolt mount so that the selfie stick lays over the right handle. Secure the stick to the steering unit using a ratchet strap. Wear the GPS action remote on your wrist and push the shutter button to start/stop shooting.
Views:
When speeding, don’t extend the stick fully to avoid it breaking due to rough motion. You can get a 3rd-person view of yourself and a partial view of the jet ski.
When not speeding, you can fully extend the stick and get a complete 3rd-person view of yourself and the jet ski.
Usage: Mount the suction mount somewhere on the front of the jet ski such that the camera can face you. Attach a lanyard to the camera and secure the lanyard to the jet ski so that you can retrieve the camera from the water in case it falls in. Wear the GPS action remote on your wrist and push the shutter button to start/stop shooting.
Views: Whether you are speeding or not, you can get a 3rd-person view facing you from the front of the jet ski. Since the Ace Pro is not a 360-degree camera, you can only film in the direction of the single lens.
Note: you can use one GPS Action Remote with both the X3 and the Ace Pro.
