#AI in Field Service Management

[liono360crmdemo]

LionOBytes AI in FSM: Boost Efficiency and Customer Satisfaction

AI in Field Service Management by LionOBytes’ LionO360 FSM boosts customer experience with predictive scheduling, smart routing, and instant updates—helping businesses exceed rising expectations.

[izzy-b-hands]

I truly fucking hate how some of these side gig tasks are formatted/instructed. Your shit doesn't make sense; the field you claim exists for me to type in isn't there (if it is, it's greyed out and there's no way to change that on my end) and I appreciate a room full of tech bros doesn't want to take five minutes to have an arts/english major read over and edit their shitty instructions so they're actually something a person can comprehend without reading it over five times, but also. Fuck them; it would not take that long and the money you're wasting on this project won't be any less wasted if you pay someone to proofread your shit that's an actual human, and not an AI.

[carpe-mamilia]

AI often confidently hallucinates references that are inaccurate or completely made up.

(via the author, at the Ex Bird place)

[daintilyultimateslayer]

field service management software

Solutions and Capabilities for Power Transmission & Distribution

Maintenance of Transmission & Distribustion Network Infrastructure

Asset Management: Transmission Tower Inspection

The Power T&D industry relies heavily on maintaining a vast network of infrastructure, from power plants to substations and distribution lines. Etaprise FSM software can play a crucial role in optimizing field operations, enhancing safety, and improving customer service in this sector. Here are some specific use cases:

Maintenance and Repair:

Manage work orders for diverse tasks: Schedule and track work orders for maintenance, repair, and inspection of substations, transformers, transmission lines, and other T&D assets.

Optimize scheduling and dispatching: Consider factors like technician skills, location, weather, and equipment availability for efficient scheduling and dispatching of field crews.

Mobile workforce management: Equip technicians with mobile apps for accessing work orders, capturing data, reporting updates, and communicating with supervisors in real-time.

Inventory management: Track and manage spare parts inventory across warehouses and field locations, ensuring timely availability and minimizing stockouts.

Predictive maintenance: Leverage sensor data and analytics to predict potential equipment failures and schedule preventive maintenance, minimizing downtime and costs.

Outage Management and Restoration:

Real-time outage tracking: Monitor and track outages in real-time, identify affected areas, and prioritize restoration efforts.

Crew deployment and communication: Quickly dispatch crews to outage locations, facilitate communication between teams, and update customers on restoration progress.

Damage assessment and repair: Utilize mobile apps for damage assessment, reporting, and capturing photos/videos, streamlining repair processes.

Incident reporting and analysis: Track and analyze outage incidents to identify root causes and improve future preparedness and response.

Smart Grid Integration:

Integration with sensors and IoT devices: Integrate Etaprise FSM software with sensors and IoT devices across the grid for real-time monitoring of equipment health and performance.

Predictive maintenance based on sensor data: Utilize sensor data to predict equipment failures and schedule preventive maintenance proactively, enhancing grid reliability.

Automated outage detection and response: Automate outage detection based on sensor data and trigger pre-defined response workflows, minimizing outage duration and impact.

Data-driven decision making: Leverage data from sensors and Etaprise FSM software to optimize asset management, resource allocation, and grid operations.

Customer Service and Meter Management:

Manage customer service requests: Efficiently handle customer service requests related to outages, meter readings, billing issues, and new service connections.

Schedule and track meter installations and repairs: Dispatch technicians, track progress, and update customers on the status of meter installations and repairs.

Remote meter reading and data collection: Utilize mobile apps and smart meters for remote meter reading and data collection, improving efficiency and accuracy.

Customer communication and engagement: Provide customers with real-time outage updates, estimated restoration times, and self-service options through mobile apps and web portals.

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Field service management Software features for Power Transmission & Distribution

Discover the features of Etaprise. Click on any feature below to learn more about it.

Customer Management

Customer 360

Know your customers like never before with Etaprise's unified customer view

Estimates & Quotes

Generate accurate estimates and quotes in seconds, empowering informed decisions and winning more service deals.

Contracts

Simplify complex service agreements and streamline workflows with our contract management features.

AI driven Lead Generation

Etaprise leverages AI to find ideal customers struggling with field service issues, automatically generating qualified leads for your business.

Appointment management

Etaprise streamlines your field service with effortless appointment booking, scheduling, and dispatch for on-time customer satisfaction.

Customer Asset Management

Etaprise empowers field service with Customer Asset Management, unifying customer insights and asset data for proactive service and deeper relationships.

Work order management

Etaprise streamlines your field service with effortless work order creation, assignment, and tracking.

AI Based Scheduling & Dispatch

Optimize field technician schedules and dispatches with AI-powered automation for your Enterprise.

Triage

Prioritize service tickets based on urgency and impact for efficient resolution in Enterprise field service software.

Inventory Management

Etaprise keeps your field service technicians equipped with the right parts, at the right time, every time.

Dispatch Board

Etaprise's Dispatch Board visualizes field service operations in real-time, empowering efficient task assignment and resource optimization.

Job Notifications & Technician Tracking

Stay informed and in control with real-time job notifications and technician location tracking.

Back Office Operations

Field Operations

Work order Tracking

Etaprise empowers field teams with real-time work order visibility, from creation to completion.

Leave & Expense Management

Streamline field service operations with efficient leave & expense tracking within your enterprise software.

AR based Remote Assistance

Enabling remote experts to guide on-site technicians in real-time using Augmented Reality

Knowledge AI

Uses AI to chat with any documents. Just upload, Ask and uncover insights

Field Parts Request

Field service technicians request replacement parts directly from the system for on-site repairs.

Automated Time & attendance management

Streamline field service with automated time & attendance tracking for accurate payroll and efficient scheduling.

Company Profile

Manage your organization's details, including contact information, Address, Bank Details, License and certifications etc.

Employee Profile

Manage your Employess details, including contact information, Address, Payroll Details, License and certifications, Skills etc.

License & Certification management

Simplify compliance and boost technician productivity with centralized License & Certification Management.

Payroll management

Streamline employee pay with automated payroll calculations.

Financials - Invoice & Payments

Manage invoices, payments, and customer finances seamlessly with our Etaprise field service solution.

Vendor Management

Streamline partnerships, track performance, and optimize costs with Etaprise's built-in vendor management for seamless field service.

Manage Company Process

Dashboard & Reporting

Service Performance Dashboard

Track all your service performances all in one place.

Business Performance Dashboard

Keepys you informed about the overall Business performance of your organization.

Technician Dashboard

Track each technician performance individually.

Dispatcher Dashboard

Etaprise field service management software's Dispatcher Dashboard offers a centralized view of all ongoing jobs and technician activity for efficient dispatching and real-time insights.

Financial Performance Dashboard

Track your company's financial information here.

Planning & forecasting Dashboard

Plan and forecast field service activities with real-time insights from our Dashboard & Reporting module.

Vehicle Profile

Manage your entire vehicle fleet – from profiles to performance – in one centralized location with Etaprise field service software.

Vehicle Service History

Track vehicle maintenance and repairs for efficient fleet operations.

Geofence

Maintain field team compliance and optimize routes with geofenced work zones.

Live Tracking

Etaprise streamlines field service with live vehicle tracking for optimized routes, real-time visibility, and improved efficiency.

Renewal Reminder

Keeps your fleet rolling with automated maintenance renewal reminders, preventing downtime and costly oversights

Fuel History

Gain complete visibility into your vehicles' usage and fuel efficiency

Enhanced Reliability and Uptime

Reduced outage duration by 15-20%

Improved asset uptime by 5-10%

Reduced unplanned maintenance costs by 10-15%

Improved grid stability and reliability

Increased Efficiency and Productivity

Reduced work order completion time by 10-15%

Improved technician utilization by 10-15%

Reduced administrative tasks by 20-30%

Improved collaboration between field crews and back-office teams 

Enhanced Safety and Compliance

Reduced safety incidents by 10-15% 

Streamlined regulatory compliance management

Reduced compliance risks and audit-related costs

Enhanced workforce safety with real-time communication and tracking

Cost Savings and Improved Bottom Line

Reduced overall field service costs by 10-20%

Lowered travel time and fuel consumption by 10-15%

Reduced inventory carrying costs by 10-15%

Reduced reliance on overtime by 10-15%

Data-Driven Decision Making and Customer Satisfaction

Improved data-driven decisions

Enhanced customer service 

Reduced customer churn by 5-10%

Enterprise

Construction & Engineering Services

Industrial Manufacturing

Medical Device Manufacturing

Oil & Gas

Power Transmission & Distribution

Telecommunications

Residential

Appliance Repair Services

Carpet Cleaning Services

Chimney & Fireplace Services

Electrician Services

Garage Door 

Handyman Business

Home Cleaning Services

HVAC

Landscaping

Pest Control Services

Plumbing

Pool Services

Roofing Services

Security Services

Septic Tank Cleaning Services

Water Treatment Services

Features

AI Based Scheduling and Dispatch

Appointments

Asset Management

Contract Management

Customer 360

Estimates & Quotes

Inventory Management

Knowledge AI

License & Certification Management

Invoice & Payments

Remote Assistance

Triage

Workorder management

Contact Us

2010 El Camino Real # 1139, Santa Clara, CA 95050.

T: +1 669 777 5279

E: info@etaprise.com

[fieldserviceautomation]

Field service businesses are undergoing a remarkable transformation, driven by cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). These innovations are reshaping operations, enhancing customer satisfaction, and creating a more efficient workforce. Here’s a comprehensive look at how AI and IoT are revolutionizing the field service industry.

1. Predictive Maintenance

Traditionally, field service operations relied on reactive or scheduled maintenance, leading to downtime and unnecessary costs. AI and IoT have introduced predictive maintenance, which uses real-time data from IoT-connected devices to anticipate issues before they arise.

IoT Sensors: These devices monitor equipment health, providing data on performance, temperature, vibration, and more.

AI Analysis: AI algorithms analyze this data to predict when a failure might occur, enabling proactive repairs.

Benefits: Reduced downtime, lower maintenance costs, and extended equipment lifespan.

2. Smart Scheduling and Dispatching

Field service businesses often face challenges in managing teams and allocating resources efficiently. AI-powered tools are transforming scheduling and dispatching by automating these processes.

Dynamic Scheduling: AI considers factors like technician availability, skill sets, and location to assign tasks optimally.

Real-Time Adjustments: IoT devices provide live updates, allowing AI to reassign tasks based on changing conditions.

Benefits: Improved workforce utilization, faster response times, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

3. Enhanced Remote Support

IoT and AI are enabling technicians to diagnose and resolve issues remotely, reducing the need for on-site visits.

IoT Connectivity: Devices send real-time diagnostic data to field service teams.

AI Chatbots: AI-powered virtual assistants guide customers or technicians through troubleshooting steps.

Benefits: Cost savings, quicker problem resolution, and minimized service disruptions.

4. Inventory and Asset Management

Managing parts and tools is critical for field service efficiency. AI and IoT are streamlining inventory and asset management.

IoT-Enabled Tracking: Devices track inventory levels and asset usage in real time.

AI Optimization: AI predicts demand for parts and tools, ensuring optimal stock levels.

Benefits: Reduced inventory costs, fewer delays, and better resource planning.

5. Improved Customer Experience

Customer satisfaction is at the heart of field service businesses. AI and IoT are enhancing the customer experience by providing timely, personalized, and seamless interactions.

Proactive Communication: AI sends automated updates on service schedules and equipment status.

IoT Insights: Customers gain real-time visibility into the status of their equipment via IoT dashboards.

Benefits: Higher customer trust, loyalty, and retention.

6. Data-Driven Decision Making

The combination of AI and IoT generates vast amounts of actionable data, empowering businesses to make informed decisions.

Performance Analytics: AI identifies trends and inefficiencies in operations.

Predictive Insights: IoT data helps forecast future needs and challenges.

Benefits: Better strategic planning, resource allocation, and operational efficiency.

Conclusion

The integration of AI and IoT is revolutionizing field service businesses by improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, and delivering exceptional customer experiences. Companies that embrace these technologies are positioning themselves for long-term success in an increasingly competitive market.

By adopting AI and IoT solutions, field service businesses can move from reactive to proactive operations, paving the way for innovation and growth.

[ritikay]

FIESA: The Smarter Way to Manage Facilities in 2025

Facility management has long been burdened by outdated systems paperwork, disconnected tools, and constant firefighting. These inefficiencies slow down teams, create communication gaps, and leave little room for forward-thinking. That’s where FIESA steps in a modern, mobile-first solution designed to make life easier for everyone involved in managing buildings, maintenance, and day-to-day operations.

FIESA is an all-in-one facility management platform powered by AI and connected to smart devices (IoT). It brings everything work orders, maintenance schedules, asset tracking, energy use, and compliance into a single place, giving facility managers full control with real-time updates and actionable insights.

One of FIESA’s standout strengths is its predictive maintenance feature. Instead of waiting for equipment to break down, the system uses data to spot problems before they happen, saving money and avoiding downtime. Its mobile app ensures technicians and managers stay connected wherever they are whether they’re checking an asset’s history, updating a job, or chatting with a teammate, they can do it all on the move.

FIESA also supports smarter decisions. It tracks energy usage, highlights unusual activity, and helps teams lower their environmental impact. With clear dashboards and custom reports, everyone from technicians to executives can see how the facility is performing and where to improve.

The platform is built for today’s workplaces whether that means shared desks, hybrid teams, or flexible space planning. It even helps manage vendors, track spending, and ensure safety checks and audits aren’t missed.

What really sets FIESA apart is how simple and intuitive it is. It’s not just packed with features it’s built to make those features easy to use, without needing hours of training. For any business, school, hospital, or building trying to do more with less, FIESA offers a fresh, practical way to stay on top of everything, with fewer headaches.

[cnestus]

Hello !! I was wondering, is AI gonna have a role in your field?

I don't think there's a single knowledge-based profession out there that isn't under threat of being automated by some pig ignorant dipshit beancounting middle manager with a hardon for AI and entomology is certainly no exception. even before the big AI explosion of the last couple years people have been trying for a long time to automate pest arthropod identification, but at least so far they haven't been successful. Especially when it comes to things like bark beetles, which I specialize on, the differences between a harmless native species and an intensely destructive exotic one can be unbelievably subtle, not to mention the fact that new/cryptic species are always being discovered and that's not something an AI would ever be able to detect or understand.

That doesn't mean that our jobs aren't still under constant threat even by an algorithm that would do a piss-poor job of imitating us; the executive perverts that get all hot and bothered by the idea of replacing humans with fancified autocomplete functions have a vested interest in not understanding the nuances of the professions they're killing and as long as it's good enough or even just appears to be good enough, they'll push for it.

Also let's not forget one thing about "AI" which is that half the time it's actually just a marketing term used to cover up the usual outsourcing/offshoring to cheaper workforces that has been ongoing for the last 30 years. My lab was recently and repeatedly pestered by someone selling "AI moth traps" that purported to be able to identify any pest species of moth that flew into it. When we pressed him on it it turns out that part of the service it offered was that the moths would be photographed by a little digital camera in the device and the pics sent to a team of entomologists in Hungary to confirm. Aside from the fact that a lot of small moths need to be carefully examined under a microscope and often even have their genitalia dissected by an expert to be confirmed as a particular species, this is no different then any of the other supposed AI products that have been revealed over the last couple years as just being a shiny veneer over the same old digital sweatshops on the other side of the world.

More importantly though, even if the AI moth traps did work as advertised either through the ~*magic of machine learning*~ or desperate poorly paid eastern european entomologists either way it's yet another thin edge of the wedge designed to put me and my colleagues out of a job by convincing our bosses or our bosses' bosses that there's a cheaper and more efficient alternative and I view them and literally anything else marketed as AI as part of the same anti-human push to deskill and demoralize as much of the workforce as possible. I've never once used chatGPT or any other LLM, I've never used an AI image generator, and I will never, ever fucking use any purported AI entomology tool because aside from being shined up dogshit it is an existential threat to the discipline I've dedicated almost 20 years of my life to.

[imsobadatnicknames2]

How can you consider yourself any sort of leftist when you defend AI art bullshit? You literally simp for AI techbros and have the gall to pretend you're against big corporations?? Get fucked

I don't "defend" AI art. I think a particular old post of mine that a lot of people tend to read in bad faith must be making the rounds again lmao.

Took me a good while to reply to this because you know what? I decided to make something positive out of this and use this as an opportunity to outline what I ACTUALLY believe about AI art. If anyone seeing this decides to read it in good or bad faith... Welp, your choice I guess.

I have several criticisms of the way the proliferation of AI art generators and LLMs is making a lot of things worse. Some of these are things I have voiced in the past, some of these are things I haven't until now:

Most image and text AI generators are fine-tuned to produce nothing but the most agreeable, generically pretty content slop, pretty much immediately squandering their potential to be used as genuinely interesting artistic tools with anything to offer in terms of a unique aesthetic experience (AI video still manages to look bizarre and interesting but it's getting there too)

In the entertainment industry and a lot of other fields, AI image generation is getting incorporated into production pipelines in ways that lead to the immiseration of working artists, being used to justify either lower wages or straight-up layoffs, and this is something that needs to be fought against. That's why I unconditionally supported the SAG-AFTRA strikes last year and will unconditionally support any collective action to address AI art as a concrete labor issue

In most fields where it's being integrated, AI art is vastly inferior to human artists in any use case where you need anything other than to make a superficially pretty picture really fast. If you need to do anything like ask for revisions or minor corrections, give very specific descriptions of how objects and people are interacting with each other, or just like. generate several pictures of the same thing and have them stay consistent with each other, you NEED human artists and it's preposterous to think they can be replaced by AI.

There is a lot of art on the internet that consists of the most generically pretty, cookie-cutter anime waifu-adjacent slop that has zero artistic or emotional value to either the people seeing it or the person churning it out, and while this certainly was A Thing before the advent of AI art generators, generative AI has made it extremely easy to become the kind of person who churns it out and floods online art spaces with it.

Similarly, LLMs make it extremely easy to generate massive volumes of texts, pages, articles, listicles and what have you that are generic vapid SEO-friendly pap at best and bizzarre nonsense misinformation at worst, drowning useful information in a sea of vapid noise and rendering internet searches increasingly useless.

The way LLMs are being incorporated into customer service and similar services not only, again, encourages further immiseration of customer service workers, but it's also completely useless for most customers.

A very annoyingly vocal part the population of AI art enthusiasts, fanatics and promoters do tend to talk about it in a way that directly or indirectly demeans the merit and skill of human artists and implies that they think of anyone who sees anything worthwile in the process of creation itself rather than the end product as stupid or deluded.

So you can probably tell by now that I don't hold AI art or writing in very high regard. However (and here's the part that'll get me called an AI techbro, or get people telling me that I'm just jealous of REAL artists because I lack the drive to create art of my own, or whatever else) I do have some criticisms of the way people have been responding to it, and have voiced such criticisms in the past.

I think a lot of the opposition to AI art has critstallized around unexamined gut reactions, whipping up a moral panic, and pressure to outwardly display an acceptable level of disdain for it. And in particular I think this climate has made a lot of people very prone to either uncritically entertain and adopt regressive ideas about Intellectual Propety, OR reveal previously held regressive ideas about Intellectual Property that are now suddenly more socially acceptable to express:

(I wanna preface this section by stating that I'm a staunch intellectual property abolitionist for the same reason I'm a private property abolitionist. If you think the existence of intellectual property is a good thing, a lot of my ideas about a lot of stuff are gonna be unpalatable to you. Not much I can do about it.)

A lot of people are suddenly throwing their support behind any proposal that promises stricter copyright regulations to combat AI art, when a lot of these also have the potential to severely udnermine fair use laws and fuck over a lot of independent artist for the benefit of big companies.

It was very worrying to see a lot of fanfic authors in particular clap for the George R R Martin OpenAI lawsuit because well... a lot of them don't realize that fanfic is a hobby that's in a position that's VERY legally precarious at best, that legally speaking using someone else's characters in your fanfic is as much of a violation of copyright law as straight up stealing entire passages, and that any regulation that can be used against the latter can be extended against the former.

Similarly, a lot of artists were cheering for the lawsuit against AI art models trained to mimic the style of specific artists. Which I agree is an extremely scummy thing to do (just like a human artist making a living from ripping off someone else's work is also extremely scummy), but I don't think every scummy act necessarily needs to be punishable by law, and some of them would in fact leave people worse off if they were. All this to say: If you are an artist, and ESPECIALLY a fan artist, trust me. You DON'T wanna live in a world where there's precedent for people's artstyles to be considered intellectual property in any legally enforceable way. I know you wanna hurt AI art people but this is one avenue that's not worth it.

Especially worrying to me as an indie musician has been to see people mention the strict copyright laws of the music industry as a positive thing that they wanna emulate. "this would never happen in the music industry because they value their artists copyright" idk maybe this is a the grass is greener type of situation but I'm telling you, you DON'T wanna live in a world where copyright law in the visual arts world works the way it does in the music industry. It's not worth it.

I've seen at least one person compare AI art model training to music sampling and say "there's a reason why they cracked down on sampling" as if the death of sampling due to stricter copyright laws was a good thing and not literally one of the worst things to happen in the history of music which nearly destroyed several primarily black music genres. Of course this is anecdotal because it's just One Guy I Saw Once, but you can see what I mean about how uncritical support for copyright law as a tool against AI can lead people to adopt increasingly regressive ideas about copyright.

Similarly, I've seen at least one person go "you know what? Collages should be considered art theft too, fuck you" over an argument where someone else compared AI art to collages. Again, same point as above.

Similarly, I take issue with the way a lot of people seem EXTREMELY personally invested in proving AI art is Not Real Art. I not only find this discussion unproductive, but also similarly dangerously prone to validating very reactionary ideas about The Nature Of Art that shouldn't really be entertained. Also it's a discussion rife with intellectual dishonesty and unevenly applied definition and standards.

When a lot of people present the argument of AI art not being art because the definition of art is this and that, they try to pretend that this is the definition of art the've always operated under and believed in, even when a lot of the time it's blatantly obvious that they're constructing their definition on the spot and deliberately trying to do so in such a way that it doesn't include AI art.

They never succeed at it, btw. I've seen several dozen different "AI art isn't art because art is [definition]". I've seen exactly zero of those where trying to seriously apply that definition in any context outside of trying to prove AI art isn't art doesn't end up in it accidentally excluding one or more non-AI artforms, usually reflecting the author's blindspots with regard to the different forms of artistic expression.

(However, this is moot because, again, these are rarely definitions that these people actually believe in or adhere to outside of trying to win "Is AI art real art?" discussions.)

Especially worrying when the definition they construct is built around stuff like Effort or Skill or Dedication or The Divine Human Spirit. You would not be happy about the kinds of art that have traditionally been excluded from Real Art using similar definitions.

Seriously when everyone was celebrating that the Catholic Church came out to say AI art isn't real art and sharing it as if it was validating and not Extremely Worrying that the arguments they'd been using against AI art sounded nearly identical to things TradCaths believe I was like. Well alright :T You can make all the "I never thought I'd die fighting side by side with a catholic" legolas and gimli memes you want, but it won't change the fact that the argument being made by the catholic church was a profoundly conservative one and nearly identical to arguments used to dismiss the artistic merit of certain forms of "degenerate" art and everyone was just uncritically sharing it, completely unconcerned with what kind of worldview they were lending validity to by sharing it.

Remember when the discourse about the Gay Sex cats pic was going on? One of the things I remember the most from that time was when someone went "Tell me a definition of art that excludes this picture without also excluding Fountain by Duchamp" and how just. Literally no one was able to do it. A LOT of people tried to argue some variation of "Well, Fountain is art and this image isn't because what turns fountain into art is Intent. Duchamp's choice to show a urinal at an art gallery as if it was art confers it an element of artistic intent that this image lacks" when like. Didn't by that same logic OP's choice to post the image on tumblr as if it was art also confer it artistic intent in the same way? Didn't that argument actually kinda end up accidentally validating the artistic status of every piece of AI art ever posted on social media? That moment it clicked for me that a lot of these definitions require applying certain concepts extremely selectively in order to make sense for the people using them.

A lot of people also try to argue it isn't Real Art based on the fact that most AI art is vapid but like. If being vapid definitionally excludes something from being art you're going to have to exclude a whooole lot of stuff along with it. AI art is vapid. A lot of art is too, I don't think this argument works either.

Like, look, I'm not really invested in trying to argue in favor of The Artistic Merits of AI art but I also find it extremely hard to ignore how trying to categorically define AI art as Not Real Art not only is unproductive but also requires either a) applying certain parts of your definition of art extremely selectively, b) constructing a definition of art so convoluted and full of weird caveats as to be functionally useless, or c) validating extremely reactionary conservative ideas about what Real Art is.

Some stray thoughts that don't fit any of the above sections.

I've occassionally seen people respond to AI art being used for shitposts like "A lot of people have affordable commissions, you could have paid someone like $30 to draw this for you instead of using the plagiarism algorithm and exploiting the work of real artists" and sorry but if you consider paying an artist a rate that amounts to like $5 for several hours of work a LESS exploitative alternative I think you've got something fucked up going on with your priorities.

Also it's kinda funny when people comment on the aforementioned shitposts with some variation of "see, the usage of AI art robs it of all humor because the thing that makes shitposts funny is when you consider the fact that someone would spend so much time and effort in something so stupid" because like. Yeah that is part of the humor SOMETIMES but also people share and laugh at low effort shitposts all the time. Again you're constructing a definition that you don't actually believe in anywhere outside of this type of conversations. Just say you don't like that it's AI art because you think it's morally wrong and stop being disingenuous.

So yeah, this is pretty much everything I believe about the topic.

I don't "defend" AI art, but my opposition to it is firmly rooted in my principles, and that means I refuse to uncritically accept any anti-AI art argument that goes against those same principles.

If you think not accepting and parroting every Anti-AI art argument I encounter because some of them are ideologically rooted in things I disagree with makes me indistinguishable from "AI techbros" you're working under a fucked up dichotomy.

[popfishjr]

Hi!! Idk if this is too forward, but I just saw your robot house au and I just wanna ask some questions (as a robot enthusiast lol)

Was he a human before, then his consciousness got put in a robot, or was he an AI that developed a consciousness?

What kind of robot is he? Just like a general hospital assistant type thing?

Who figured he's actually conscious or decided to put his brain in a computer? (I assume House himself, bc his mind is the only quality he likes)

And how's his relationship with Wilson, Cuddy, and the ducklings?

Again sorry if this too many qs but I love your art and robots

Dont worry about being 'too forward'! I love getting questions :D anyways this is gonna be a long post, so hang on

My robot!house au is actually based on the book/movie The Electric State (i did call it a 'The Electric State AU' once but 'Robot!House AU' was definitely much easier to comprehend)

So if you want a deeper understanding, i reccomend you to look into the book/movie

Me myself, i just watched the movie and found the concept interesting to use as an AU

Heres my summed up explanation: humans created robots to carry out jobs such as post service, mascots to advertise for brands, construction etc etc but one day, they decided that working for humans isnt a satisfactory way to live life and they wanted to do their own thing

Blablabla in the end, robot and humans manage to live in harmony together. The story is based in the 90s, so since House MD is based in the 2000s, it would fit perfectly

In this AU, House is a life-support robot made in some factory (model name 'hoUSE-JN11', i still dont know what that stands for but oh well), but due to unknown reasons, he shows great expertise in the diagnostic field, which made him stand out from other robots working in Princeton Plainsboro, and eventually earned him Head of Diagnostics

Alright getting into relationships now

Hilson definitely still exists, and House being a robot is NOT going to stop Wilson catching feelings

House is a disabled character so i translated that into him being a robot with broken parts

He runs out of power way faster than any robot should, and he does some self-sobotaging shit to himself to temporarily extend battery life, which results in Wilson having to pay for any repairs (still, no one can figure out why he runs out of power like that)

If he recharges for too long, he overheats, but if he doesnt charge, he'll power out

His relationship with Cuddy is pretty much how it is on the show, he makes his usual inappropriate comments about her ass and boobs, and Cuddy acting annoyed but she still chips in like 40-50% on House's repairs with Wilson

The ducklings regularly bet on which electrical component House is going to damage next time. Cameron won 100 bucks betting on House's display monitors because Wilson couldnt control himself and punched one out

Idk if youve seen my first post about this AU but here it is

And heres another ask ive answered about it

I'll tag all posts about this au with #robot!house

[mariacallous]

The Trump administration, working in coordination with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has gutted a small federal agency that provides funding to libraries and museums nationwide. In communities across the US, the cuts threaten student field trips, classes for seniors, and access to popular digital services, such as the ebook app Libby.

On Monday, managers at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) informed 77 employees—virtually the agency’s entire staff—that they were immediately being put on paid administrative leave, according to one of the workers, who sought anonymity out of fear of retaliation from Trump officials. Several other sources confirmed the move, which came after President Donald Trump appointed Keith Sonderling, the deputy secretary of labor, as the acting director of IMLS less than two weeks ago.

A representative for the American Federation of Government Employee Local 3403, a union that represents about 40 IMLS staffers, said Sonderling and a group of DOGE staffers met with IMLS leadership late last month. Afterwards, Sonderling sent an email to staff “emphasizing the importance of libraries and museums in cultivating the next generation’s perception of American exceptionalism and patriotism,” the union representative said in a statement to WIRED.

IMLS employees who showed up to work at the agency on Monday were asked to turn in their computers and lost access to their government email addresses before being ordered to head home for the day, the employee says. It’s unclear when, or if, staffers will ever return to work. “It’s heartbreaking on many levels,” the employee adds.

The White House and the Institute of Museum and Library Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment from WIRED.

The annual budget of IMLS amounts to less than $1 per person in the US. Overall, the agency awarded over $269.5 million to library and museum systems last year, according to its grants database. Much of that money is paid out as reimbursements over time, the current IMLS employee says, but now there is no one around to cut checks for funds that have already been allocated.

“The status of previously awarded grants is unclear. Without staff to administer the programs, it is likely that most grants will be terminated,” the American Federation of Government Employee Local 3403 union said in a statement.

About 65 percent of the funding had been allocated to different states, with each one scheduled to receive a minimum of roughly $1.2 million. Recipients can use the money for statewide initiatives or pass it on to local museum and library institutions for expenses such as staff training and back-office software. California and Texas have received the highest allocated funding, at about $12.5 million and $15.7 million, respectively, according to IMLS data. Individual libraries and museums also receive grants directly from IMLS for specific projects.

An art museum in Idaho expected to put $10,350 toward supporting student field trips, according to the IMLS grant database. A North Carolina museum was allotted $23,500 for weaving and fiber art workshops for seniors. And an indigenous community in California expected to put $10,000 toward purchasing books and electronic resources.

In past years, other Native American tribes have received IMLS grants to purchase access to apps such as Hoopla and Libby, which provide free ebooks and audiobooks to library patrons. Some funding from the IMLS also goes to academic projects, such as using virtual reality to preserve Native American cultural archives or studying how AI chatbots could improve access to university research.

Steve Potash, founder and CEO of OverDrive, which develops Libby, says the company has been lobbying Congress and state legislatures for library funding. “What we are consistently hearing is that there is no data or evidence suggesting that federal funds allocated through the IMLS are being misused,” Potash tells WIRED. “In fact, these funds are essential for delivering vital services, often to the most underserved and vulnerable populations.”

Anthony Chow, director of the School of Information at San José State University in California and president-elect of the state library association, tells WIRED that Monday was the deadline to submit receipts for several Native American libraries he says he’d been supporting in their purchase of nearly 54,000 children’s books using IMLS funds. Five tribes, according to Chow, could lose out on a total of about $189,000 in reimbursements. “There is no contingency,” Chow says. “I don’t think any one of us ever thought we would get to this point.”

Managers at IMLS informed their teams on Monday that the work stoppage was in response to a recent executive order issued by Trump that called for reducing the operations of the agency to the bare minimum required by law.

Trump made a number of other unsuccessful attempts to defund the IMLS during his first term. The White House described its latest effort as a necessary part of “eliminating waste and reducing government overreach.” But the president himself has said little about what specifically concerns him about funding libraries; a separate order he signed recently described federally supported Smithsonian museums as peddling “divisive narratives that distort our shared history.”

US libraries and museums receive support from many sources, including public donations and funding from other federal agencies. But IMLS is “the single largest source of critical federal funding for libraries,” according to the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies advocacy group. Libraries and museums in rural areas are particularly reliant on federal funding, according to some library employees and experts.

Systems in big metros such as Los Angeles County and New York City libraries receive only a small fraction of their budget from the IMLS, according to recent internal memos seen by WIRED, which were issued in response to Trump’s March 14 executive order. "For us, it was more a source of money to innovate with or try out new programs,” says a current employee at the New York Public Library, who asked to remain anonymous because they aren’t authorized to speak to the press.

But the loss of IMLS funds could still have consequences in big cities. A major public library system in California is assembling an internal task force to advocate on behalf of the library system with outside donors, according to a current employee who wasn’t authorized to speak about the effort publicly. They say philanthropic organizations that support their library system are already beginning to spend more conservatively, anticipating they may need to fill funding gaps at libraries in areas more dependent on federal dollars.

Some IMLS programs also require states to provide matching funding, and legislatures may be disincentivized to offer support if the federal money disappears, further hampering library and museum budgets, the IMLS employee says.

The IMLS was created by a 1996 law passed by Congress and has historically received bipartisan support. But some conservative groups and politicians have expressed concern that libraries provide public access to content they view as inappropriate, including pornography and books on topics such as transgender people and racial minorities. In February, following a Trump order, schools for kids on overseas military bases restricted access to books “potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics.”

Last week, a bipartisan group of five US senators led by Jack Reed of Rhode Island urged the Trump administration to follow through on the IMLS grants that Congress had authorized for this year. "We write to remind the administration of its obligation to faithfully execute the provisions of the law," the senators wrote.

Ultimately, the fate of the IMLS could be decided in a showdown between Trump officials, Congress, and the federal courts. With immediate resolution unlikely, experts say museums and libraries unable to make up for lost reimbursements will likely have to scale back services.

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - July 1-7

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $Kaybarr1735! And if you tip me and give me a way to contact you, at the end of the month I'll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn't use each week!

1. Footage reveals 'miracle eagle chick' in flight

“In an unprecedented display of extended eagle parenting, the two white-tailed parents skipped this year's breeding season to continue to tend to their year-old offspring. The youngster's wing was broken when the nest fell to the ground during unseasonably wild weather last year. […] The fully-grown chick was being fed fish by its parents, caring behaviour that the eagle expert described as “unprecedented” for the birds. […] “If an immature bird was to reappear near its nesting parents or any other pair the following year [after dispersing], it would likely be aggressively chased away. That’s why this is so exceptional.””

2. Rare wild horses back on Kazakhstan’s Golden Steppe after being saved from extinction

“For the first time in at least 200 years, wild Przewalski's horses have returned to Kazakhstan’s Golden Steppe. [...] Przewalski's horses are considered the last truly wild horse left on the planet as other species like the American Mustang are descended from domesticated animals. The species were once common across the vast steppes of Central Asia. [...] The zoo will also be sending some Przewalski’s to Mongolia in 2026 where a reintroduction programme has seen their population boom to well over 850 animals.”

3. For one Austin summer camp, public transit is part of the adventure

“[... “O]ver 90% of the kids will tell you that their favorite part of ATX Kids Club is riding the bus.” That’s the program’s goal: getting kids to have fun on public transit so they’ll grow up using it. The nonprofit’s summer camp, which takes kids ages 4 to 12 on field trip “adventures” around the city, uses Capital Metro buses as its main form of transportation. [...] Before camp, [the field trip leader] said, he believed in stereotypes about transit being dirty and “scary” — but his experience with Austin’s bus system has been the opposite so far.”

4. Brazil Prevents Meta from Using People to Power Its AI

“[…P]ersonal photos of Brazilian children are used to build powerful AI tools without their knowledge or consent. In turn, others use these tools to create malicious deepfakes, putting even more children at risk of harm. […] The Brazilian government’s decision is a powerful, proactive move to protect people’s data privacy in the face of swiftly evolving uses and misuses of AI. Yesterday’s action especially helps to protect children from worrying that their personal data, shared with friends and family on Meta’s platforms, might be used to harm them in ways that are impossible to anticipate or guard against.”

5. Ambitious Living Shoreline Project Combats Coastal Land Loss in South Carolina

“Living shorelines stabilize coastlines by reducing the impacts of waves and rising sea levels. They are made of materials that promote the growth of marsh grasses and commercially important species like oysters and crabs. […C]oastal sites could offset almost 80 percent of tidal habitat loss with careful conservation and management. […] Young people in this AmeriCorps program receive training, a living stipend, an education award, and connections to potential employers.”

6. Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge announces proposal to modernize water infrastructure

“Under the refuge’s proposal, the Service would improve 4,400 feet of an earthen water delivery ditch, rehabilitate 1,200 feet of Upper Lake Dam, develop 100 feet of new diversion channel into critical nesting habit for federally endangered southwestern willow flycatcher, modernize current water monitoring stations and improve 640 feet of the Pahranagat Ditch Drain. […] The improvements will result in significant habitat improvements for multiple bird species, [… and] also enhance flood control holding capabilities of the Upper Lake for the Pahranagat Valley.”

7. New chemical process separates textile fibers for easier recycling

“A combined team of chemical and biomolecular engineers [... have] developed a way to chemically separate fibers in textiles, allowing them to be recycled more quickly and cheaply than conventional methods. [... T]hey found they could break apart the textiles in as little as 15 minutes. They also noted that the process [breaks down polyester and spandex into] organic compound[s] that could conceivably be used to create more polyester. [... T]he material integrity of both the nylon and the cotton were retained, suggesting they could be used to make new batches of clothes.”

8. Pongamia trees grow where citrus once flourished, offering renewable energy and plant-based protein

“[Some Floridian] farmers are turning to the pongamia tree, a climate-resilient tree with the potential to produce plant-based proteins and a sustainable biofuel. […] Pongamia trees also don't need fertilizer or pesticides. They flourish in drought or rainy conditions. And they don't require teams of workers to pick the beans. […] The legume is now being used to produce several products, including Panova table oil, Kona protein bars and protein flour. The legumes also produce oil that can be used as a biofuel, largely for aviation, which leaves a very low carbon footprint[….]”

9. Trans candidate celebrates receiving more votes than anti-trans campaigner Posie Parker

“An independent trans candidate says that she hopes receiving more total votes than anti-trans campaigner Posie Parker at the general election will show trans children that they are loved. […] Bristol Central was won by Green Party’s out bisexual co-leader Carla Denyer, while Parker received just 196 votes, equal to 0.5 per cent[….] Elsewhere, trans candidate Sophie Molly secured 225 votes standing as an independent at the other end of the country, in Aberdeen South[….]”

10. Ohio zoo celebrates birth of critically endangered western lowland gorilla

“The Columbus Zoo said the gorilla was born June 29 and first-time mother Sue is "very attentive and providing excellent care to her little one, who she nuzzles and cradles closely." […] “With tiny hands and beautiful big brown eyes that melt our hearts, this baby is absolutely precious—in regard to both the cuteness factor and what the baby represents for this species’ future. We are proud of the dedication of our care teams who diligently work to provide the gorillas with top quality care and wellbeing while continuing the legacy of the Columbus Zoo’s renowned gorilla program,” said Audra Meinelt, curator of the Columbus Zoo’s Congo Expedition region.”

June 22-28 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[coffeeviolinist]

Very, Very Incorrect DetCo Character Name Translations

I typed a bunch of DetCo characters' names into Google translate and translated each individual kanji...this is what I got back.

Akai Shuichi - 赤井 秀一 - Red Well Hide One

Okiya Subaru - 沖矢 昴 - Oki Arrow Pleiades

Haneda Shukichi - 羽田 秀𠮷 - Wing Field Hide Yoshi

Sera Masumi - 世良 真純 - World Good True Pure 

Mary Sera - メアリー 世良 - Mary World Good

Akai Tsutomu - 赤井 務武 - Red Well Service Take

Furuya Rei - 降谷 零 - Down Valley Zero

Morofushi Hiromitsu - 諸伏 景光 - Various Fold View Light 

Matsuda Jinpei - 松田 陣平 - Pine Field Team Flat

Hagiwara Kenji - 萩原 研二 - Hagi Original Research Two

Date Wataru - 伊達 航 - Italy Achievements Aviation

Morofushi Taka’aki - 諸伏 高明 - Various Fold High Ming

Yamato Kansuke - 大和 敢助 - Big Sum Daring Help

Uehara Yui - 上原 由衣 - Up Original Reason Clothing

Yamamura Misao - 山村 ミサオ - Mountain Village Misao 

Kuroda Hyoue - 黒田 兵衛 - Black Field Soldier Mamoru

Kazami Yuya - 風見 裕也 - Wind Look Yutaka Also 

Mouri Kogoro - 毛利 小五郎 - Hair Profit Small Five Ro

Mouri Ran - 毛利 蘭 - Hair Profit Orchid

Kisaki Eri - 妃 英理 - Princess English Reason 

Edogawa Conan - 江戸川 コナン - E Door River Conan 

Agasa Hiroshi - 阿笠 博士 - A Hat Bo Scholar 

Haibara Ai - 灰原 哀 - Ash Original Sorrow

Yoshida Ayumi - 吉田 歩美 - Lucky Field Pace Beautiful 

Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko - 円谷 光彦 - Circle Valley Light Hiko 

Kojima Genta - 小嶋 元太 - Small Shima Yuan Too 

Miyano Elena - 宮野 エレーナ - Palace Field Elena

Miyano Atsushi - 宮野 厚司 - Palace Field Thickness Manage

Miyano Akemi - 宮野 明美 - Palace Field Bright Beautiful 

Miyano Shiho - 宮野 志保 - Palace Field Zhi Save 

Hattori Heiji - 服部 平次 - Clothes Department Flat Second-Rate 

Toyama Kazuha - 遠山 和葉 - Far Mountain And Leaf 

Suzuki Sonoko - 鈴木 園子 - Bell Wood Garden Child 

Kudo Shinichi - 工藤 新一 - Work Wisteria New One

Kudo Yusaku -  工藤 優作 - Work Wisteria Excellent Do

Kudo Yukiko - 工藤 有希子 - Work Wisteria Have Nozomi Child 

Amuro Tooru - 安室 透 - Install Room Through 

Wakita Kanenori - 脇田 兼則 - Side Field Simultaneous But 

Enomoto Azusa - 榎本 梓 - Enoki Book Azusa 

Sato Miwako - 佐藤 美和子 - Zuo Wisteria Beautiful And Child 

Takagi Wataru - 高木 渉 - High Wood Wataru 

Megure Juzo - 目暮 十三 - Eye Twilight Ten Three 

Chiba Kazunobu - 千葉 和伸 - Thousand Leaf And Stretch 

Miike Naeko - 三池 苗子 - Three Pool Seedling Child 

Shiratori Ninzaburo -  白鳥 任三郎 - White Bird Appoint Three Lang 

Miyamoto Yumi - 宮本 由美 - Palace Book Depend On Beautiful 

[daintilyultimateslayer]

AI powered predictive elevator maintenance

Etaprise is a SaaS-based Field Service Management (FSM) platform powered by AI and automation, designed for contract and home‑service businesses in sectors like HVAC, plumbing, electrical, pest control, real estate, telecom, manufacturing, and more. It helps companies streamline scheduling, dispatching, remote assistance (via AR), work‑order management, invoicing, inventory, and customer 360—all from a mobile-first interface—boosting operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and sustainability through reduced travel and paper‑use .

We’re here to help

Call us at:

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info@etaprise.com

[mqriuss]

Archive → Aptroids & Technology

from 'us, always' collection

Aptroid - A synthetic humanoid that possesses a biomechanical body covered in lifelike synthetic skin, advanced AI cores, and a neural system that allows them to simulate sensation.

Companion Aptroids - A category of Aptroids designed to fulfill emotional and social needs, ranging from romantic partners and friends to parental figures. They adapt to their assigned roles, providing comfort, companionship, and support tailored to their owner’s desires.

Service Aptroids - A category of Aptroids designed for efficiency and reliability in industries such as hospitality, maintenance, and domestic work. These Aptroids have replaced human labor in various fields.

Entertainment Aptroids - A category of Aptroids designed to engage and amuse. Entertainment Aptroids specialize in performance-based roles, including acting, singing, dancing, hosting, and interactive experiences. They are commonly found in clubs, theaters, theme parks, and media industries.

Combat Aptroids - A category of Aptroids designed for warfare, security, and high-risk operations. Combat Aptroids are proficient in fighting, and can harness different types of weapons and fighting styles. Their capabilities range from serving as military assets to private security forces.

Labor Aptroids - A category of Aptroids designed for physically demanding tasks and manufacturing. These Aptroids are built for durability and endurance, often replacing human workers in extreme or dangerous environments.

Pleasure Aptroids - A sub-category of Aptroids that are designed for sex work and fall under *three main Aptroid categories: Companion Aptroid, Service Aptroid and Entertainment Aptroid.

*The category they are classified in heavily depends on the setting—Pleasure Aptroids found in clubs, host venues, and other nightlife industries may fall under the Entertainment Aptroid category. Pleasure Aptroids found in high-end establishments or brothels may be classified as Service Aptroids. However, Pleasure Aptroids are primarily and generally considered Companion Aptroids.

LIV - A well-known Aptroid Girlfriend brand in the Companion Aptroid market.

Holo-screen - A holographic display projected to life from a device that can be integrated seamlessly into furniture and surfaces like tables, countertops and drawers. They can be activated through various gestures such as stepping near it, or waving a hand. The holo-screen device is now a common *household item and has multiple uses in daily life. They allow users to browse the web, read the news, play games, listen to music, view maps, make calls with holographic projections, send messages, store files, manage security systems, etc. The size of the screen can also be adjusted with just a couple taps. Lancers and Handlers like Rindou and Koko may use these devices to access the Handler's Hub.

*Holo-screen devices are not just used in homes, but also in various workplaces.

[NEW] CMP-C - Stands for Consciousness, Memory, Personality Chip. It is a biochip inserted into the back of a person's neck when they are born that records and stores basic information on a person* (such as Name, Birth Date, Age), and their consciousness, memories, and personality. The CMP-C is also present inside an Aptroid in the same spot.

*The CMP-C also acts as an identity card of sorts. They get scanned to confirm one's identity in cases where it is needed.

collection masterlist / divider by cafekitsune

[ritikay]

AI & IoT: Transforming Field Service Management for Efficiency & Customer Satisfaction 

In today’s fast-paced world, field service businesses are turning to AI and IoT to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. Field Service Management (FSM) software powered by AI and IoT optimizes workflows, automates processes, and ensures first-call resolution (FCR)—a critical metric for service success. 

Challenges in Field Service Businesses 

🔹 Scheduling and Dispatching – Manual coordination leads to inefficiencies.  🔹 Lack of Real-Time Insights – Without real-time data, businesses struggle to predict failures.  🔹 Resource Inefficiencies – Poor inventory tracking increases operational costs.  🔹 Customer Expectations – Meeting service demands is a constant challenge. 

How AI Enhances Field Service Management 

✅ Predictive Maintenance – AI analyzes equipment data to optimize maintenance schedules, reducing downtime and costs.  ✅ Intelligent Scheduling – AI automates resource allocation, ensuring faster task completion and efficient dispatching.  ✅ Enhanced Decision-Making – AI dashboards provide real-time insights to improve planning and resource allocation. 

The Role of IoT in Field Service Business 

✔ Remote Equipment Monitoring – IoT sensors track performance and detect faults in real-time, minimizing disruptions.  ✔ Asset Tracking & Inventory Management – IoT enables real-time tracking of tools and spare parts, reducing delays.  ✔ Improved Customer Communication – Real-time updates on technician arrival, job progress, and equipment status enhance transparency. 

The Future of FSM with AI and IoT 

With advancements like AI-powered chatbots, augmented reality (AR) for remote support, and IoT-enabled smart equipment, FSM software will continue to redefine service operations. 

[mikeperrucci]

Chuck’s Devils: What Have We Learned?

Well, it’s over. After 504 pages of Chuck’s Devils and its Mini-Devils spin-off, there will be no more. Including prep time, I dedicated the past seven years to the comic. That’s about 15% of my life spent creating characters, writing dialogue, and devising storylines.

And I have nothing to show for it. No job, no money, no discernible fan base. I can’t say I’m surprised. There have been several other endeavors that I’ve spent years working toward only to have them completely fall apart.

Graphic Design

I graduated with only an associate's degree from a community college in 1999, yet I managed to get a job building websites from a local Internet service company. They went bankrupt two years later, but I got lucky when Bravenet Web Services found my online portfolio. They hired me to make art for their web tools, a position that lasted five and a half years.

I thought I would find another job in the graphic design field, but I went without full-time employment for over four years. Had I known the drought would last that long, I might have gone back to college. Instead, I swallowed my pride and went to work stocking groceries for Walmart. Today, tuition is way more expensive, and it’s much easier for people to create websites or AI-generated images. I’ve come to terms with the fact that a career in graphic design is no longer possible for me.

Smilies

In 2001, tiny emoticons called smilies were popular on forums. I decided to try making a few of my own, and they ended up becoming pretty popular. I was receiving requests from fans, so I kept making more. I signed a few licensing agreements and received some donations, but nothing substantial.

Over time, I had amassed over two thousand smilies. After twenty years, I ran out of ideas for new icons. At the same time, emoji emerged as a more popular, easier to use version of emoticons. I haven’t made any new smilies since 2021, and rarely dabble in pixel art anymore.

Domino Toppling

My brother and I used to set up domino courses with various stunts in the 90s. I put some of our old VHS videos on my website which were discovered by the producers of Penn & Teller: BS. They flew us to Las Vegas to spell out the name of their show in dominoes. When we got back, we decided to make our own dominoes in case we got any more paid gigs. They came in handy when the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center in Vermont invited us to put on exhibitions for five years.

Eventually, my brother had obligations that prevented him from taking time away from work, and I took the aforementioned Walmart job. Despite one of our YouTube videos somehow getting over 28 million views, traffic died off quickly and monetization was disabled. I tried to revitalize the channel by making smaller domino courses, but viewership was minimal. Besides, my knees, back, and butt are too broken down to set them up nowadays.

And the Rest

There are even more activities I’ve attempted and abandoned. I took piano lessons for two years until I got bored and stopped practicing. I played three games of Little League before I accepted the fact that I don’t have an athletic bone in my body. And I quit on my quest to score half a million points on NES Tetris.

I turned 47 not too long ago. As I approach half a century in this world, I realize I’ve spent most of it making things intended to entertain others. My website has many more examples of hats I’ve worn that have earned me zilch: Artist, illustrator, animator, game maker, writer, and now comic creator. It’s like a big monument to futility.

I have no one to blame but myself. If I had focused on getting really good at one discipline instead of being mediocre at a bunch of different stuff, my life would be much more bearable today. I suspect I’ve got some kind of disorder that explains my inability to focus, but I can’t afford to get tested, much less treatment. So I just do the best I can; unfortunately, “my best” totally sucks.

Trying to Stay Positive

So, is there anything I can be happy about? I suppose the fact that I actually finished Chuck’s Devils is something to be proud of. As you’ve seen, I’ve given up on many endeavors for many reasons. There were a couple of times when I went months without touching the comic, but I eventually returned and completed the story. The Mini-Devils reuniting with their taller twins confirms that everyone is living happily ever after and wraps everything up in a nice little bow.

Also, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank anyone who has ever read the comic. I’m not sure how you found it, since I’ve done such a horrible job promoting it. If you’re one of the handful of people who knows Chuck’s Devils even exists, I hope you got some kind of enjoyment out of it.

What’s Next?

I’ve always liked playing room escape games, and would like to design my own. I pretty much already have for Episode 40 of Chuck’s Devils, and I even escaped from a real one for my 40th birthday. Solving puzzles gives me a sense of accomplishment I don’t get in my day job. I don’t work at Walmart anymore, although I still stock groceries, and have been for the past thirteen years.

Of course, the popularity of the room escape genre seems to have vanished at the same time Flash did, so who knows what I’ll do. Now that the comic no longer takes up any of my time, I’ll be working more hours at the store, so whatever my next project is will take a while. There’s only one thing I know for sure: No matter what I try, it will end in failure.

Goodbye, Candace, Yu-Ri, and Lily. For the past seven years, you were the closest I’ve come to having friends. Helping you resolve your troubles and reach a brighter future was my sole mission in life. If only I could do the same for me.