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This reversible birth control for dudes is like a temporary snip-snip in your pants.

A new male contraceptive makes fertility as simple as flipping a switch.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that having sex and being a cyborg are both pretty awesome.

The only problem is that one of them involves the risk of creating, you know, a living human child that is dependent upon you for its continued existence.

And that's where the machines come in.


GIF from "Doctor Who."

These two amazing things have been brought together in a way that prevents those ... unintended consequences of sex.

Created by a German construction worker, the Bimek SLV is hailing itself as "The New Contraception for Men." All it takes is the literal flip of a switch, and you can be reproduction-free!

Well, that and a mildly invasive surgical procedure to implant said switch in your scrotum. But once that's done, you're good to go! (And go, and go, and...)

GIF from Bimek SLV/Vimeo.

It's basically a built-in vasectomy that you can *ahem* turn on.

The Bimek SLV is about the size of a gummy bear, which is exactly what you want to think about when you're talking about an implant in your scrotum. The valve attaches to the spermatic cords, which carry sperm from the testes to the seminal vesicle, where your little microscopic tadpoles mix with seminal fluid and prep for delivery. Like this:

GIF from Bimek SLV/Vimeo.

But when you flip the switch of the Bimek SLV, it stops the sperm from making it past the scrotum. This leaves you free to ejaculate to your heart's desire (or your partner's desire!), but without any sperm in your semen. Like this:

Sorry, little spermy dudes; you ain't goin' nowhere! Mwahahaha! GIF from Bimek SLV/Vimeo.

Just like a vasectomy, the Bimek SLV has a Pearl Index rating of 0.1, which means it's 99.9% effective. For added security, it also includes a safety button that you have to hold when turning it "off" — so you don't accidentally bump the button when you're bumpin' buttons. Once that's done, you should be firing a full load the next time you're ready to go. And then you can switch it back on whenever you want to go sterile again!

Technically, there is a brief waiting period after flipping the switch to allow the sperm to fully flush out of your system before you can be confidently sterile. Bimek recommends "up to three months or about 30 ejaculations." (And no, I don't understand that math either; if you ask me, it just sounds like a challenge.)

You mean I only gotta go 30 times? Challenge accepted. See you in a week. GIF from "The Empire Strikes Back."

And all it takes is a half-hour outpatient surgery!

So the question remains: Why aren't there more male contraceptives?

The implied sub-question being: Why is the onus always on the owner of the ovaries, even though the penis party is still half-responsible?

Statistics have shown that educating people about their sexy-time options is a lot more effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies than trying to outright dissuade them from making sweet, sweet whoopie. As it stands, Planned Parenthood lists 20 different kinds of contraceptives for women.

For guys? There are five, including abstinence and the good ol' fashioned pull-out method (which is ... generally not recommended).

GIF from "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Over the years, women have tried everything from potatoes to crocodile dung and honey in hopes of having some modicum of control over if and when they get pregnant. Meanwhile, us dudes are all like "ughhhh I don't wanna roll the little rubber ring on my junk, it totally wrecks the mood!"

Sorry, fellas. It's the least we can do.

If only Cyborg had a scrotal implant, maybe his, um, burst of energy wouldn't disappear. GIF from "Teen Titans."

But if a cybernetic scrotal implant is not on your to-do list, there are other birth control advancements just over the horizon.​

An Indonesian herb known as gandarusa produces an enzyme that bonds to the individual sperm and inhibits their ability to penetrate the egg. It was originally used to reduce stress with the side effect of temporary infertility ... until someone realized that might not be such a bad thing.

With a quick gel injection straight into the vas deferens, Vasalgel works similarly to the Bimek SLV by blocking the sperm from making its way into the semen. This is known as Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance, or RISUG, because all it takes is another injection to make it magically disappear (if you consider a needle to the groin "magical").

Then there's the "Clean Sheets Pill," so named because, well, it keeps the sheets clean by relaxing the ejaculatory muscles, thereby preventing the release of any semen. It's the same orgasmic pleasure but with none of the mess! And also diminished risk of STIs (which they should totally use as their catchphrase if they don't have one yet; if you're reading this, call me).

There's also one experimental method that involves injecting gold nanorods into your testicles to somethingsomethingscience and kill the sperm, if that's more your speed.

GIF from "Austin Powers 3: Goldmember."

The fact is, we can't stop people from having sex — nor should we want to. But we can help them find safer ways to do it.​

While most of these male birth control methods are still in the clinical trial stage, the future is still looking bright.

And it's about time. Imagine how much more progress we could have made by now if we men had spent less time trying to control women's access to birth control pills and focused our energies on our own parts instead. 

After all, we've never had a problem paying attention to our needs during intercourse. So why don't we extend that to what happens after?

Pop Culture

Here’s a paycheck for a McDonald’s worker. And here's my jaw dropping to the floor.

So we've all heard the numbers, but what does that mean in reality? Here's one year's wages — yes, *full-time* wages. Woo.

Making a little over 10,000 for a yearly salary.


I've written tons of things about minimum wage, backed up by fact-checkers and economists and scholarly studies. All of them point to raising the minimum wage as a solution to lifting people out of poverty and getting folks off of public assistance. It's slowly happening, and there's much more to be done.

But when it comes right down to it, where the rubber meets the road is what it means for everyday workers who have to live with those wages. I honestly don't know how they do it.

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Joy

5-star Scottish resort offers whimsical afternoon tea experience with 'naughty sheep'

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes tea in the garden with adorably rude guests.

Cameron House/Naughty Sheep

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes a unique sheep encounter.

Remember when "goat yoga" was all the rage? And then "cow cuddling" and "turkey cuddling" made everyone's bucket lists?

Now we can add "nuzzling with naughty sheep" to the mix, but with a fancy Scottish twist.

Less than an hour from Glasgow, Scotland, the Cameron House resort sits on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, looking as if it were plucked straight out of a fairy tale. Sprawling green grounds, gorgeous lake views and a four-story castled mansion greet guests as their "home away from home" (only better), and a perusal of the reviews show guests raving about the 5-star resort's elegance, beauty and exceptional service.

I mean, just look at this place:

drone view of cameron house grounds and lakeCameron House sit on Lake Lochmond in Scotland.Cameron House


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A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

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@caitlin.the.realtor/TikTok, used with permission

Wait, so 90's fashion is in, but 90's hair is out?

Every era has its own version of what’s attractive. And very rarely does that aesthetic hold power with the following generation. In fact, it often becomes the opposite of cool.

Just think of Elvis. He might have been a universal sex symbol for a time, but it also wasn’t long before his pompadour became passé. Same goes for Paul Newman’s rugged manliness, David Cassidy’s babyface, Tom Selleck’s mustache. Indeed, for everything a season.

Which brings us to the 90s. The age of beach blonde surfer boys (real surfing skills not required, but a plus). Of flannel, lots of flannel, and super chiseled bodies. Let’s not forget this was the dawning of the term “metrosexual,” and also the time period that brought us that Calvin Klein ad with Mark Wahlburg.

How exactly would these guys measure up with the Gen Z kids today?

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popular

A wild Eurasian crow befriended a toddler and won't leave his side

Crows are so much smarter than we think.

A Eurasian crow.

A family from Denmark has created a touching video montage documenting their unique friendship with a wild Eurasian crow. This crow, affectionately named Russell, has become an honorary member of their household, forming special bonds with each family member, including the pets.

However, the crow's relationship with their son, 2-year-old Otto, is truly extraordinary. “They could spend hours just playing,” Otto’s mother, Laerke Luna, says in a video shared by The Dodo. "When Otto is outside, he will never leave Otto’s side.”

Russell, the free-spirited crow, ventures away from the family's home from time to time, but never for too long. He always comes back and announces his return by tapping on the door, swooping in to lounge on the sofa, or awaiting Otto's return from school atop their roof.

“When we are inside, he will sit inside the window because he wants Otto to go outside with him,” Laerke said.

The family’s relationship with Russell didn’t come out of nowhere. When Russell was a young bird, he had health problems so the family took him and nursed the bird back to health. Eventually, they witnessed his first attempts to fly.

Recently, Russell became friends with another family member, their second child, Hedwig. Although he does get a little annoyed with the bird’s frequent attempts to nab his pacifier.

Even though it’s rare for humans to strike up such a close bond with a crow, according to research, it’s not that surprising. Audubon says that crows are “some of the smartest animals in the world” with an intelligence “on par with chimpanzees.” They are also very social and family-oriented, so no wonder Russell loves Otto and his family.

Crow Named Russell Waits For His Favorite Kid To Get Home From School | The Dodo


Learning

Why you shouldn't throw your dishwasher pod into the bottom of your dishwasher

Dishwashers actually use the dirty water to know how to wash your dishes.

Photos by cottonbro studio and PhotoMIX Ltd. via Canva

Why your detergent shouldn't go in the bottom of the dishwasher

There always seem to be something going on with the pods and powders you're supposed to use in the dishwasher to clean your dishes. Either the pods don't dissolve completely or the powder gets all goopy and hard, never really fully dispensing into the dishwasher.

The inconsistency in product dispensing can leave you wondering if the dishes are even getting cleaned, causing some to toss the detergent pod into the bottom of the dishwasher. It would seem that placing the detergent at the bottom would allow for it to actually reach your dirty dishes. But Melissa Pateras, a domestic expert, explains that doing it that way isn't doing what you think it's doing.

Pateras actually breaks down exactly how dishwashers work to clean your dishes while explaining why putting the detergent on the bottom is ineffective.

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