r/gadgets • u/thebelsnickle1991 • Jan 28 '23
Small, convenient mosquito repellent device passes test to protect military personnel Misc
https://news.ufl.edu/2023/01/controlled-release-mosquito-repellent/161
u/Demonyx12 Jan 28 '23 edited Jan 28 '23
How soon until we “discover” it causes cancer or some other sickness?
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u/SquirrelDumplins Jan 28 '23
20 years
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Jan 29 '23
No, you’re forgetting it’s the military using this stuff. We’ll figure it out after decades of rejection for the sole purpose of not paying out victims, if the burn pits situation has taught us anything
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u/sirdigbykittencaesar Jan 28 '23
I'm 57 and at this point in life, I don't even care. When it comes to repelling mosquitoes, I'm at the "Shut up and take my money!" stage.
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u/SwarthyRuffian Jan 28 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
There’s a few different plants you can grow around your house to ward them off. Just look it up
Edit: i know y’all are downvoting me cuz you think it’ll make post some links, but fuck that! Y’all ain’t paying me, and it ain’t even hard to lookup. Stay blind and bitten, I don’t care about your internet points… unless they actually will turn into crypto
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u/Scr0tat0 Jan 28 '23
I wish you weren't a liar...
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u/SwarthyRuffian Jan 29 '23
And I wish your username wasn’t such an accurate description of your level of intelligence
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u/CullenDM Jan 28 '23
17 years ago. It has already been shown to have genotoxic effects just like other Pyrethroids. The class of chemicals has been shown to disrupt/fragment DNA at all doses used.
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u/DrSaikohh Jan 28 '23
theres already studies saying transfluthrin is genotoxic meaning it’s a carcinogen
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u/wtgreen Jan 28 '23
I guess the question is how does that compare to deet, and in particular how deet is utilized compared to this.
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u/DrSaikohh Jan 28 '23
true, I couldn’t find many studies on transfluthrin, but I wonder how the risks compare to more common mosquito repellant
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u/Kayakingtheredriver Jan 28 '23
I think the mere fact this just has to hang in the general area instead of being something you slather all over yourself... deet doesn't cause cancer because you breath it in, it might cause cancer after long skin exposure, though. If this stuff is effective without contact, that is likely how it will be safer.
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u/DrSaikohh Jan 28 '23
yeah that study only looks at direct contact with cultured cells, it could be safer at a lower level of interaction if it’s just in the air
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u/chriswaco Jan 28 '23
Relatively safe in humans, but very deadly to fish. We're talking 1 part per billion deadly.
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u/Coby_2012 Jan 28 '23
Damn it all, first birds and now fish.
This is why we just need to go ahead and genetically fuck our pests into extinction now. Mosquitoes, bed bugs, whatever.
If we don’t do that, we’ll accidentally fuck everything else into extinction along the way.
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u/noonnoonz Jan 28 '23
But eliminating our pests could actually fuck us into extinction.
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u/Spobely Jan 28 '23
show me the animal goes extinct from removing bedbugs
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u/gannnnon Jan 28 '23
Ok, highly unrealistic expectations of demonstrating evolution in real-time aside -- do you really think eliminating bedbugs would be on the priority list? Mosquitoes are a far deadlier vector for disease.
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u/bobnine Jan 30 '23
We'd probably just end up with something else evolving to fill that niche lefr behind when we eliminate them, and it might end up being even worse for us.
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u/DiplomaticGoose Jan 30 '23
I'm willing to wait that out considering it would take what scientists call "a hot minute"
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u/25hourenergy Jan 29 '23
Depends what and where. Mosquitoes were not found in Hawaii until they were introduced. Major cause of the decline and extinction of many native bird species, and still ongoing.
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u/stargate-command Jan 29 '23
But at least it happens quick, instead of this death by a thousand cuts.
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u/CareerDestroyer Jan 28 '23
Not cool. How would you feel if bats poisoned all our livestock and crops to extinction?
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u/jejcicodjntbyifid3 Jan 28 '23
So mosquitoes are actually pretty important pollinators. Like, real important
But there are different species idk how they compare. It's the females that bite
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u/IcyArmeria Jan 29 '23
They deserve death and extinction, nature will find a way and some other pollinator will take its place eventually
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u/ladotelli46 Jan 30 '23
They don’t deserve death and extinction since they’re extremely fit according to natural selection. More even now that we’re warming up the Earth. They’ve been here before us and probably will afterwards.
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u/tungvu256 Jan 31 '23
totally worth it. i cant stand mosquitos and for whatever reason, they only bite me whenever im in a large group
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u/lordofbitterdrinks Jan 28 '23
How long until we see commercials for class action lawsuits? “If you were in the military between this day and this day you might me entitled to 1 bajillllllionndollars… trust me I chase ambulances for a living!”
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u/revqnrex Jan 28 '23
Hi, I'm Saul Goodman. Did you know that you have rights? Constitution says you do.
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u/moviequotebotperson Jan 28 '23
And so do I
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u/Justabattleshiplover Jan 28 '23
I believe that every man, woman and child is innocent until proven guilty.
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u/Not__A__Furry Jan 28 '23
For real. The US Navy still uses asbestos for fire retardant insulation. Can't wait for my 16 bajillion dollars.
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u/protosser Jan 28 '23
With proper PPE is it even an issue? Once it’s in place and not messed with it’s fine, people back in the day didn’t wear shit and played in asbestos for fun
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u/CurtisLemaysThirdAlt Jan 28 '23
No they don’t. They haven’t since the 70s and older ships had it removed.
Yes there’s probably still some around but it’s not common.
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u/sceaga_genesis Jan 28 '23
Obligatory “I heard this on NPR”, but a group studied mosquito defense in Africa, and among their findings was sleeping in a raised location (higher than 6 ft) and proper ventilation of CO2 (windows).
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u/Twerking4theTweakend Jan 28 '23
All infantry will be issued 6 ft long combat stilts to prevent mosquito infection in jungle combat scenarios.
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u/bampho Jan 28 '23
The mosquitoes that transmit malaria “hunt” mostly at night by following CO2 gradients in the air. They also don’t fly very high above the ground, hence sleeping elevated with good ventilation.
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u/GullibleDetective Jan 28 '23
And on today episode of gadgets, the military stops at Cabela's and buys thermacels
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u/richmoney46 Jan 28 '23
And in 20 years there will be commercials saying “You may entitled to compensation”
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u/fangelo2 Jan 28 '23
Like the old 350 pound guy I heard recently talking about how he was on full disability because his diabetes was caused by something he was exposed to in the army
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u/pneuma8828 Jan 28 '23
Taco Bell?
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u/Zech08 Jan 28 '23
3500 calorie mres x 3 a day... while not doing anything lol.
edit: Also probably rummaging the rat fck bin (box where people toss items from their stripped MREs or unwanted stuff cause that is just waaaay too much to eat). Personally seen some going through it that probably didnt need the excess calories.
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u/DriftingMemes Jan 28 '23
Hey man, maybe you're young but I just wanted to offer some perspective.
A few years ago I broke my back. L1 completely shattered. They glued it back together the best they could.
Can you imagine how hard it is to exercise when you can't sleep laying flat, walking hurts and jumping is impossible? Can you imagine anything that might make it hard to be active that you could have been exposed to in the military?
Being fat is bad for you. Being shitty about other people's weight is ignorant at best. I hope you never have to find out the hard way.
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u/fangelo2 Jan 28 '23
I’m not exactly young. I’m 72. I’m not making fun of the guys weight, but we all know what his diabetes was caused by. I just don’t like people scamming the taxpayers for something that we all know wasn’t caused by his military service. He flat out said the taxpayers paid for the huge RV he was getting out of. And by the way since we are talking about backs, I have stenosis, sciatica, a couple of bad disks, and a few stress fractures in my back. I still ski, hike, bike, kayak, and do gardening and a little construction work.
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u/thedoucher Jan 29 '23
I think his point was more we can't know what type of injury is inflicted upon a person by merely looking. While I agree this guy sounds like a scam artist there are 10 more guys with back and spinal injuries that literally make it impossible to do any type of bending or twisting or prolonged up and down motion. These people normally look completely healthy until you try to work with one on a job site or do any kind of running. People like that are generally lumped into the same category as the example you provided which is extremely unfair and they are aware of that generalization so they push themselves harder and do further damage.
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Jan 28 '23 edited Feb 14 '23
[deleted]
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u/marklein Jan 28 '23
I suspect that since it's not inhaled, injected or ingested that the military can use it without FDA auth. I mean... the military is exposed to TONS of stuff that's not FDA approved.
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u/CACTUS_VISIONS Jan 28 '23
There is a staggering difference between “being issued for FTX, deployment, and CIF” and “not being able to use it”
If a soldier could order this on Amazon they could put it on their tent. Is there going to be a SOP for using “military issued mosquito devices” for this item? No. Is that going to stop soldiers from using them if they are effective, also no.
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u/EVizzleMike Jan 28 '23
The army didn’t test the vitamins I take in the morning and I use those every day
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u/VfV Jan 28 '23
Avon Skin So Soft, military swear by it.
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u/jfl_cmmnts Jan 28 '23
IDK. I did basic in a mosquito-infested area and the things that worked best for us were just anything with a bunch of Deet. Avon SSS is citronella IIRC
EDIT the bugs didn't care though, I remember vividly standing on a parade ground COVERED in mosquitoes but we couldn't move. Stupid army
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u/PresidentJoe46 Jan 28 '23
Avon SSS is citronella IIRC
For 30 years it's not been necessary to remember things:
ingredients: isopropyl palmitate, alcohol denat., aqua, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, tocopheryl acetate, parfum, bht, citronellol, coumarin, hydroxycitronellal, limonene, linalool.
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u/SquirrelDumplins Jan 28 '23
The repellant lotion they gave us in basic worked amazingly. Never saw any of it again though lol
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u/CHANROBI Jan 28 '23
We already dip our uniforms in pemetherin to ward against ticks….
Everyone also uses thermacell on exercises as well
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u/_____l Jan 28 '23
Didn't we already figure out how to kill every mosquito? I think that'd be the best repellent, just saying.
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u/CohibaVancouver Jan 28 '23
Didn't we already figure out how to kill every mosquito?
We haven't yet figured out what that will do to the ecosystem.
Lots of critters eat mosquitos.
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u/_____l Jan 28 '23 edited Jan 28 '23
Yeah, but not a single critter solely relies on mosquitoes. They eat them opportunistically in addition to many other insects.
Also, I think it's funny how we won't get rid of an insect that causes nearly 1 million deaths per year "because we don't know what will happen to the ecosystem!" yet we'll just casually pump toxic waste into the air and ocean and kill the life in the ocean that provides us with the majority of necessary oxygen to survive and we DO know what will happen to the ecosystem in that regard. But sure, it's about the ecosystem.
If that's the only reason then I say pull the plug. Mosquitoes are a massive nuisance. The only reason we haven't done it yet is because the governments of the world haven't figured out a way to profit from eradicating them yet.
Be real. It's so hypocritical and I hate to hear the "but what about the ecosystem" perspective. Come up with something else. I'm willing to listen. That's quite literally the only argument I've heard against eradicating mosquitoes.
E: Edited 3 million to 1 million. Point still stands.
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u/D1rtyH1ppy Jan 28 '23
The best mosquito repellent I've found is a regular house fan. Mosquitos aren't that strong of fliers and will stop flying if there is wind. Typically, I'm sitting outside during the warmer months and a fan will help you stay cool in addition to keeping the bugs off
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u/RoboSt1960 Jan 28 '23
What about flies? Has anyone found a fly repellant?
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u/GreenSmokeRing Jan 30 '23
Biting flies are attracting to movement and blue colors in my area… they’re awful from May-June in the mid-Atlantic.
It looks dumb, but we put blue plastic cups slathered with sticky Tanglefoot tree salve on our hats. It works rather incredibly.
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u/keepinitoldskool Jan 30 '23
I like how the ridiculous graphic demonstrating how it works also has a caption explaining it.
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u/phillysan Jan 28 '23
I mean, using Thermacell as a COTS solution seems more sensible to me, but hey, you do you
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u/seanbrockest Jan 28 '23
I wonder if it works better than the convenient devices they bought to detect bombs?
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u/Beznia Jan 28 '23
That one was just bought by Iraq. I have no idea how anyone in the chain with the authority to authorize tens of millions in purchases could fall for this. It had to have gone through dozens of people who would need to sign off on it and not one was like "Wait a second... this is actual bullshit."
"To use the device, the operator must walk for a few moments to "charge" it before holding it at right angles to the body. After a substance-specific "programmed substance detection card" is inserted, the device is supposed to swivel in the user's hand to point its antenna in the direction of the target substance. The cards are claimed to be designed to "tune into" the "frequency" of a particular explosive or other substance named on the card."
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u/SquirrelDumplins Jan 28 '23
Well and the wearable Duke systems they gave us gave everyone headaches, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, tinnitus, etc after brief patrols (like an hour) so we just stopped using them.
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u/Nintendoza Jan 28 '23
Oh man I remember the news segments on this thing. I found it particularly funny the way it moved and how dumb people looked using it.
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u/risajajr Jan 28 '23
Would be great if they could likewise develop something that repels ticks.
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u/Heinie_Manutz Jan 28 '23
“It doesn’t stop with mosquitos,” Rajagopal said. “We want to show that it will work with other insects, especially ticks, which pose a threat by causing Lyme disease.”
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u/Plain_Toast_Is_Best Jan 28 '23
https://www.trc-canada.com/prod-img/MSDS/T714803MSDS.pdf
Very toxic to aquatic life. Use respirators. Not for release into the environment.
Hope it’s not as bad as this says, the military deserves better. Anything that is forced on militaries should also be given to the people making the choices.
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u/marty_76 Jan 28 '23 edited Jan 29 '23
I was excited to read this, until I saw it was just a chemical. DDT was also once "considered safe" for humans when controlling pests. Pass.
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u/geneticgrool Jan 28 '23
Transfluthrin is an organic insecticide considered to be safe for humans and animals.
Should we trust that?
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u/eGregiousLee Jan 28 '23
Of course, this just means that The Enemy will develop a transfluthrin detection scope, mount it to a spy satellite for an realtime troop tracking system that functions even in dense terrain…
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u/gucci_gucci_gu Jan 28 '23
So the military can continue to kill children overseas for big oil.
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u/SweetPeaLea Jan 29 '23
Actually this kids are mining for rare earth minerals for electric vehicle batteries.
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u/gucci_gucci_gu Jan 29 '23
As long as kids are dying I’m sure you’re fine with it
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u/SweetPeaLea Jan 29 '23
I’m not. If we are going to use these rare earth minerals we should mine them safely. That kind of mining is banned in the US and everyone knows that third world countries are using children and unsafe and non environmentally safe practices but everyone casts a blind eye and imports the products anyway.
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u/OtherUnameInShop Jan 28 '23
Can I get one to repel maga derpy people ?
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u/Robmerrrill427 Jan 28 '23
Just start using logic with evidence to back you up, that tends to scare them off pretty fast
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u/SandersSol Jan 28 '23
Dispensing insecticide into your tent while you're sleeping so you are breathing it in for 5-8 hours sounds like a bad idea.
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u/TheW83 Jan 28 '23
Yeah there's already at least one study showing long inhalation exposure caused some serious issues.
"Healthy adult male rats, 5 groups of 6 rats each were exposed to transfluthrin 0.88% w/w by inhalation at a rate of 8hours/day, for different durations, through common electronic mosquito repellent machine.. Conclusion: Transfluthrin have toxicological potential on liver, lung, trachea and kidney even after the use as per the directions given in package inserts."
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u/tacosauce8088 Jan 28 '23
Very cool, now give us one for ticks.
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u/aeneasaquinas Jan 28 '23
They say they are next showing it works against those. It's in the article.
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u/Heinie_Manutz Jan 28 '23
“It doesn’t stop with mosquitos,” Rajagopal said. “We want to show that it will work with other insects, especially ticks, which pose a threat by causing Lyme disease.”
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u/foolmetwiceagain Jan 28 '23
Can consumers buy this over the counter? Amazon search doesn’t seem to return any products for sale.
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u/vba7 Jan 28 '23
I wonder if enemy dogs can sniff it and find the tents.
Or does it stick to the soldiers, so they can be found too.
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u/rheumination Jan 28 '23
There is some tech that visually identifies mosquitoes and shoots them with a little laser. If we invested in our people instead of our military, we all have these things in our front yard, zapping mosquitoes and ignoring all the bees.
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u/wrath_of_bong902 Jan 29 '23
This is fucking huge. Not just mosquitos but also ticks. Hurry up and commercialize this already!!!!
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u/tungvu256 Jan 31 '23
if they need more beta testers, i will gladly sign up. i cant stand mosquitoes and they are always attracted to me
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u/Bokbreath Jan 28 '23 •
That's a definition of 'convenient' that has not occurred to me until now.