So this isn't a major thing, but I've blocked some bots (e.g. ones that provide an alternative video link on every YouTube post), and whenever I see a post like this, it still shows 1 comment. So I go in, and there's nothing there. Obviously it's still counting the blocked account commenting within this total.

In order to see what people are actually commenting on, is it possible to have the option to adjust this total to ignore blocked accounts?

It's been a while since I was taught Chemistry, but I was reading something the other day and I couldn't quite get my head around the concept.

So the periodic table shows elements with their atomic numbers (protons) and atomic weight (protons + neutrons). Isotopes have different numbers of neutrons, like carbon-12 and carbon-13 which I believe would have 6 and 7 neurons respectively.

So why is carbon-12 the 'default' option, shown on the periodic table? Is it to do with which version of carbon is the most common? I don't understand how we decide what makes up the pure version of an element/ it's atomic weight as shown on the periodic table

I understand that the Romans were unable to conquer Scotland so they build Hadrian's Wall (which explains the survival of older cultures there). But as far as I know they occupied Wales and Cornwall, so how is it that the Celtic culture (language etc.) survived in those places?

Something I've never been that great at is spontaneous conversation. I'm more than capable of public speaking if I've prepared something in advance. But if someone asks me something out of the blue, I really struggle to engage in deep conversation. Afterwards I'll think to myself damn, why didn't I bring up X or Y?

Half the time I don't know what to add and I struggle to think of what to say. Sometimes words feel like they're on the tip of my tongue and I can't get them out, especially when I'm under pressure. And in group conversations, I find it hard to interject when I do think of a point. By the time a natural break comes along, the conversation has moved on.

I'd love to get better at this. What can I do to improve?

So a view I see a lot nowadays is that attention spans are getting shorter, especially when it comes to younger generations. And the growing success of short form content on Tiktok, Youtube and Twitter for example seems to support this claim. I have a friend in their early 20s who regularly checks their phone (sometimes scrolling Tiktok content) as we're watching a film. And an older colleague recently was pleased to see me reading a book, because he felt that anyone my age and younger was less likely to want to invest the time in reading.

But is this actually true on the whole? Does social media like Tiktok really mould our interests and alter our attention? In some respects I can see how it could change our expectations. If we've come to expect a webpage to load in seconds, it can be frustrating when we have to wait minutes. But to someone that was raised with dial-up, perhaps that wouldn't be as much of an issue. In the same way, if a piece of media doesn't capture someone in the first few minutes they may be more inclined to lose focus because they're so used to quick dopamine hits from short form content. Alternatively, maybe this whole argument is just a 'kids these days' fallacy. Obviously there are plenty of young adults that buck this trend.

The other month I asked for some help choosing plants for my boyfriend's birthday. Many thanks for all the suggestions! I decided to go for a Philodendron Plowmanii and a Jewel Orchid. They came as unpotted plants, so I just wanted to check that I've potted them correctly.

I put some clay pebbles at the bottom and then filled the rest with multi use compost. I made some little holes in the soil and gently placed the plants in, then covered up their roots.

Will they be ok like that, until next week when I can gift them? How much water should I give them?

Thanks for your help :)

What lightweight, practical flashlights would people recommend?

I want something that I could use while camping, dog walking, and general day-to-day tasks (finding something under the bed for example). Currently I use my phone torch, which isn't particularly practical. My previous (battery powered) torches have died after too short a space of time - I want something that will last.

One with a clip would be handy, so I could attach it to a cap.

I see lots of ones online with insane lumens. 1000 lumens seems like overkill for my purposes!

Not too worried about price (within reason!)

So I'd heard lots of good things about this game and decided to finally give it a go. I picked up the PS3 HD collection, which includes Ico and SOTC.

From the get go, it felt like a frustrating experience. Very little is explained to you about how the mechanics of the game work. I found myself trying to grab ledges on the colossi that weren't intended.

The game clearly wants you to experiment to find out the different ways in which the colussi will react, but it's often such a slow process that it starts to feel like a chore for half of the battles. And often I was so close to a solution but some small thing would be off, so I'd try something else instead. Then it would turn out that I had it right the first time, I just needed to be standing a metre to the right. So many times the solution felt illogical.

And whilst holding on to the head of a colossus and getting that final hit in is extremely satisfying, on some occasions the window would be so small that I'd get shaken off and have to repeat the whole process to slowly chip away at its health. Knowing exactly what I needed to do, but having to do it multiple times soon became quite dull.

About half of the colossi were genuinely fun to fight. The bird one in particular stands out - soaring through the air as you climb along his wings was incredible.

I will say that the atmosphere, music and story were beautiful. It's a great piece of art. But a lot of people claim that this is one of the greatest games ever made, and I feel like the 'game' part is lacking quite a lot.

Is there something I'm missing? I actually enjoyed Ico a lot more.