#App design and development companies in US

[8techlabs-blog]

Why Non-Tech CEOs Must Understand Responsive Website Design?

In today’s digital age, your website is your company’s first impression. Non-technical CEOs may find it difficult to assess the effectiveness of a website. However, one critical factor that should not be disregarded is responsive design. A website that effortlessly adjusts to different devices greatly impacts user engagement, SEO rankings, and overall business performance. But what precisely is responsive design, and why should a non-technical CEO care? Let’s dive in and find out everything you need to know. 

What is Responsive Design?

Responsive design is a web development method that guarantees a website’s layout, pictures, and content change easily to different screen sizes, ranging from PCs and tablets to smartphones. Rather than producing distinct versions for each device, responsive design allows a single website to provide an optimal experience across all devices. 

Key Features of Responsive Design:

Fluid Grids: Layouts that scale proportionally based on the screen size.

Flexible Images: Images that resize without distortion.

Media Queries: CSS techniques that apply different styles depending on the device’s characteristics.

Mobile-First Approach: Designing for smaller screens first and scaling up.

Why Responsive Design Matters for Business Success

1. Enhancing User Experience

A well-designed responsive website ensures that users can easily navigate and interact with your site, regardless of their device. For example:

Improved Readability: No zooming or horizontal scrolling is required.

Faster Loading Times: Optimized for mobile performance.

Seamless Navigation: Intuitive menus and buttons.

A positive user experience directly translates to higher engagement and customer satisfaction.

2. Boosting SEO Performance

Search engines like Google prioritise mobile-friendly and responsive websites. Benefits include:

Higher Rankings: Responsive design is a ranking factor in Google’s algorithm.

Reduced Bounce Rates: Mobile-friendly sites keep users engaged.

Improved Crawl Efficiency: One responsive site is easier for search engines to index.

Keywords like “web design and development” and “website development services” play a crucial role in optimizing your website for search engines.

3. Adapting to Mobile-First Trends

With over 60% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, a mobile-first strategy is no longer optional. Responsive design helps businesses:

Reach a Broader Audience: Cater to users on smartphones, tablets, and more.

Stay Competitive: Align with industry trends and consumer behaviour.

4. Improving Conversion Rates

A responsive website removes barriers for potential customers, leading to:

Simpler Checkout Processes: For eCommerce websites, responsive design ensures smooth transactions on any device.

Better Lead Generation: Intuitive forms and calls-to-action are more effective.

Increased Trust: Professional, polished websites instil confidence in visitors.

How 8 Tech Labs Can Help

At 8 Tech Labs, we understand the challenges businesses face in creating impactful websites. Here’s how we can help you leverage responsive design to drive growth:

1. Custom Website Development

Our expert team of web developers specializes in creating responsive websites tailored to your business needs. Whether you’re building an eCommerce platform or a corporate site, we deliver solutions that prioritize functionality and aesthetics.

2. End-to-End Web Design and Development

We offer comprehensive services, from planning and designing to deploying and maintaining your website. Our focus areas include:

Web App Development

Website Design Websites

Mobile-Friendly Interfaces

3. Digital Transformation Consulting

We provide strategic guidance to help your business embrace digital transformation. Our experts ensure your website aligns with your broader goals, enhancing operational efficiency and customer engagement.

4. SEO Optimization

Responsive design is just one part of the puzzle. Our SEO specialists optimize your website to rank higher and attract quality traffic. Keywords like “website development service” and “web design websites” are seamlessly integrated into our strategy.

By partnering with 8 Tech Labs, you gain access to cutting-edge technology solutions and expert advice to stay ahead of the curve.

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[zoondiacom]

Web development company in US | Zoondia

Zoondia is a premier web development company in US that delivers custom, high-performance websites to businesses worldwide. Our expert team specializes in creating responsive, user-friendly websites designed to meet your business goals and enhance your online presence. As a leading web development company in US, we offer tailored solutions that drive engagement, improve functionality, and help businesses stay competitive in the digital landscape.

Choose Zoondia for cutting-edge web app development that delivers results. Schedule a free consultation with us!

[gogugokuu]

Creative Graphic Design Company in Chennai- Zero Artistic Designs

Zero Artistic Designs is a Creative Graphic Design Company in India Brand Designs, Brand Guidelines & Strategies, Rebranding, Online & Offline Branding, UI & UX Designs, Website & App Development Visit Us: https://zeroartistic.com/

[joncowesttech]

Developing Software That Offers Users Endless Options | JoncoWestTech

JoncoWestTech is a place where innovative technology and forward-thinking ideas come together to create a software development environment that is full of opportunities for businesses. Being experts in the field of technology, we take great satisfaction in providing innovative custom software development services that go above and beyond. Our dedication to quality drives us to the forefront of innovation, providing businesses all over the world with experiences that transform.

[zoptalsolution]

In the rapidly evolving landscape of mobile app development, businesses are seeking innovative and efficient solutions to stay ahead of the curve. One technology that has gained significant traction is Flutter, a versatile and powerful framework for building cross-platform mobile applications. As the demand for seamless user experiences grows, businesses are turning to the expertise of a trusted mobile app development company in the USA to harness the full potential of Flutter app development services.

[isynbus]

Enhancing the Real Estate Experience: Isynbus - Your Premier Real Estate Mobile App Development Company

In today's digital age, the real estate industry has witnessed a significant transformation. Real estate mobile applications have become an integral part of this evolution, offering convenience, efficiency, and enhanced experiences to both property buyers and sellers. If you're in the real estate business and looking for a reliable partner to develop a cutting-edge mobile application, look no further than Isynbus, your premier real estate app development company. In this blog, we will explore the world of real estate mobile applications and how Isynbus can help you turn your vision into a reality.

The Rise of Real Estate Mobile Applications

The real estate industry has come a long way from traditional methods of property hunting and transactions. The days of poring over newspapers and physically visiting numerous properties are gradually fading away. Instead, modern consumers are turning to real estate mobile applications to streamline their property search, buying, and selling processes.

The reasons behind this shift are evident. Real estate apps offer users a plethora of benefits:

1. Convenience: With a real estate app in their pocket, users can access property listings, schedule viewings, and even complete transactions from the comfort of their own homes.

2. Efficiency: Mobile apps provide quick and easy access to a vast database of properties, allowing users to filter and sort listings based on their preferences, budget, and location.

3. Enhanced Experience: Features like virtual property tours, high-quality images, and detailed property descriptions provide a richer and more informative experience for both buyers and sellers.

4. Real-Time Updates: Real estate apps offer real-time notifications on new listings, price changes, and other relevant updates, ensuring users stay informed.

5. Paperless Transactions: The digitalization of transactions through real estate apps eliminates the need for excessive paperwork, making the process faster and eco-friendly.

Isynbus: Your Trusted Real Estate App Development Partner

Isynbus is a name synonymous with innovation and expertise in the realm of real estate mobile applications. As a dedicated real estate app development company, we understand the unique demands of the industry and have honed our skills to deliver tailored solutions. Here's why you should choose us to turn your real estate app idea into reality:

1. Expertise: With a team of experienced developers and designers, we have a deep understanding of the real estate industry's nuances. We can create a feature-rich app that caters to your specific needs.

2. Custom Solutions: At Isynbus, we don't believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. We work closely with you to understand your goals and vision, ensuring that the app we build aligns perfectly with your business objectives.

3. User-Centric Approach: Our primary focus is on creating apps that provide an exceptional user experience. We incorporate user-friendly interfaces, intuitive navigation, and cutting-edge features to keep users engaged.

4. Cutting-Edge Technology: Isynbus stays at the forefront of technological advancements. We leverage the latest tools and frameworks to build robust and scalable real estate mobile applications.

5. Data Security: We understand the importance of data security in the real estate industry. Our apps are designed with strong encryption and security measures to protect sensitive information.

6. Post-Launch Support: Our commitment doesn't end with the launch of your real estate app. We provide ongoing support and maintenance to ensure your app remains up-to-date and runs smoothly.

7. Cost-Effective Solutions: We offer competitive pricing without compromising on quality. Our goal is to provide you with a high-quality real estate app that fits your budget.

Key Features of Real Estate Mobile Applications

Isynbus specializes in creating real estate apps that are feature-rich and tailored to meet your business requirements. Here are some key features commonly found in real estate mobile applications:

1. Property Listings: An extensive database of property listings with detailed information, images, and virtual tours.

2. Advanced Search: Filters for location, price range, property type, and more, to help users find their ideal property.

3. User Profiles: User accounts that allow buyers and sellers to manage their listings, save favorites, and track their transaction history.

4. Geolocation and Maps: Integration with maps for property location, nearby amenities, and neighborhood information.

5. Virtual Tours: High-quality 360-degree virtual property tours, providing an immersive experience for potential buyers.

6. Notifications: Real-time alerts for new listings, price changes, and appointment scheduling.

7. Mortgage Calculators: Tools to help users estimate mortgage payments and affordability.

8. Chat and Messaging: In-app communication for buyers, sellers, and agents.

9. Reviews and Ratings: User-generated feedback and ratings for properties and agents.

10. Secure Payment: A secure payment gateway for transaction processing.

Conclusion:

The real estate industry is evolving, and real estate mobile applications have become a vital tool for success. Isynbus, your trusted real estate app development company, is here to turn your real estate app idea into a reality. With our expertise, user-centric approach, and commitment to excellence, we can help you create a feature-rich and user-friendly mobile app that sets you apart in the competitive real estate market.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to provide your customers with a modern, convenient, and efficient way to engage with your real estate services. Contact Isynbus today to start the journey towards a successful real estate mobile application that can transform your business.

[auspicioussoft01]

Discover the leading mobile app development software in 2023 - Appy Pie, Zoho Creator, AppSheet, Appian, and Appery.io. Choose the best for your app creation needs!

[ms-demeanor]

You may have posted about this before, but im very curious about you saying "email was a mistake" because it's such a cemented part of online communication. Is it the technology?

Email became infrastructural in a way that it was never intended to be and wasn't designed for.

There is too much momentum toward email being the primary means of business communication that unless there is a massive technology shift we're unlikely to see wide adoption of an alternative and email takes up so much space in the IT space that it's hard to say what the alternative would be.

Much of what used to be email now happens in company chat apps, which I think is an improvement in many ways, but you chat with your coworkers in a way that you're unlikely to chat with a client or send a quote to a prospect.

A huge amount of effort goes into making email better, and making email systems talk to each other, and making email secure because it is so ubiquitous that you can't realistically ask people not to use it.

But it's fucking terrible and we're asking too much of a set of protocols that was supposed to send small, not-very-private, communications between academics.

Why can't you send big files via email? Because that's not what email is for.

Why is it a pain in the ass to send encrypted emails? Because that's not what email is for.

Why aren't your emails portable, and easy to move from one service to another? Because that's not what email is for.

Why are emails so easy to spoof? Because they were never meant to be used the way we use them so there was no reason to safeguard against that fifty years ago

It's like how social security cards were never meant to be used as one of your major super serious government IDs where all of your activity through all of your life is tracked, because if they knew they needed a system for that they probably would have built a better one in the first place.

Nobody who sat down and developed email looked more than half a century into the future and went "so people are going to be using this system to create identities to access banking and medical records and grocery shopping and school records so we'd better make sure that it's robust enough to handle all of that" because instead they were thinking "Neat! I can send a digital message to someone on a different computer network than the one that I am literally in the same building as."

We think of email as, like, a piece of certified mail that is hand delivered in tamperproof packaging to only the intended recipient who signs for it with their thumbprint and a retina scan when it is, instead, basically a postcard.

It would be absurd to try to do the things people do with email with postcards, and it's *nearly* as absurd to try to do them via email.

[aaksconsulting]

Elevate Your Website 's Visual Appeal with these Effective Techniques for Centering Elements Using CSS

In today’s fast-paced digital world, having a visually appealing website is essential to stand out from the crowd. One effective way to achieve this is by centering elements using CSS. Not only does it make your website look more professional, but it also enhances user experience.

In this blog post, we will introduce you to 11 effective techniques for centering elements using CSS that will elevate the visual appeal of your website and take it to the next level! So get ready to enhance your design skills with these simple yet powerful techniques.

WHAT IS CENTERING ELEMENTS IN CSS?

Centering elements in CSS is a technique for positioning HTML elements on a web page. There are several ways to center elements in CSS, and the most common method is to use the “margin: 0 auto” property.

Other methods of centering elements in CSS include using the “text-align: center” property, or setting the element’s position to “absolute” and using the “left: 50%” and “transform: translate(-50%)” properties.

The method you choose will depend on the type of element you’re trying to center, and whether or not you want that element to be responsive.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO CENTERING ELEMENTS IN CSS?

It’s important to center elements in CSS because it helps create a more balanced and symmetrical look for your web page. When elements are properly centered, they can add visual appeal and help direct a user’s eye toward the most important information on the page.

There are a number of different techniques that can be used to center elements in CSS. The most common method is to use the text-align property with a value of “center.” This will align all the text within an element to the center of that element.

Another popular technique is to use the margin property with auto values for both the left and right margins. This will cause the browser to automatically calculate equal margins on both sides of an element, effectively centering it within its containing element.

One can also use absolute positioning to center an element within its containing element. This involves setting the position property to “absolute” and then using either top or bottom and left or right properties to adjust the position of the element until it is perfectly centered.

HOW TO CENTER DIV OR TEXT IN DIV USING CSS?

If you’re working on a web design project and want to center either a div or text within a div, there are a couple of ways you can do it using CSS.

If you want to center a block level element like a div, you can use the CSS property “margin: 0 auto”. This will set the margins on the left and right sides of the element to be equal, thereby centering it.

If you want to center text or inline elements within a div, you can use the “text-align: center” property. This will align all the text within the div to be centered.

8 EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR CENTERING ELEMENTS USING CSS

In order to center elements using CSS, there are a few different techniques that can be employed. One popular technique is to use the “text-align” property with a value of “center.” This can be applied to any block level element, such as a paragraph, and will cause the contents of that element to be centered within the overall width of the containing element.

Another common technique is to set the width of the element to be centered to a specific value, then use the “margin” property with a value of “auto.” This will cause the element to be horizontally centered within its containing element, regardless of the width of that container.

It’s also possible to center elements vertically within their containing elements using CSS. This can be accomplished by setting the height of the container to a specific value, then using the “line-height” property with a value that is equal to or greater than the height of the container. The element will then be vertically centered within its containing element.

These are just a few of the many techniques that can be used for centering elements using CSS. By employing one or more of these techniques, you can easily improve the visual appeal of your website.

– FLEXBOX

When it comes to centering elements using CSS, there is no better option than flexbox. Flexbox provides a simple way to center elements horizontally and vertically within their container. In addition, flexbox can be used to create responsive layouts that automatically adjust to the size of the screen.

To use flexbox for centering, you must first set the display property of the container to flex. Then, you can use the justify-content property to center the elements horizontally, and the align-items property to center them vertically. For example, if you want to center an element horizontally and vertically within its container, you would use the following code:

container { display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; }

– GRID LAYOUT

When it comes to CSS, there are a few different techniques that can be used to center elements on a page. The most common technique is known as the grid layout. This technique involves using a series of nested dives to create a grid of boxes that can then be used to position elements within that grid.

The first step in using the grid layout is to create a series of divs that will act as the columns of your grid. These divs should be given a class name so that they can be easily targeted with CSS. Once you have your column divs in place, you’ll need to add some content to them. This can be done by adding more divs or by using other HTML elements such as paragraphs or headings.

Once you have your columns and content in place, you can start positioning elements within the grid. To do this, you’ll need to use the CSS properties “float” and “clear”. The float property allows you to specify how an element should float within its parent container. By default, elements float to the left side of their container. However, if you want an element to be centered within its container, you’ll need to set the float property to “none”.

The clear property specifies what side of an element’s container other elements are not allowed to float on. So, if you want all subsequent elements after a centered element to also be centered, you would set the clear property to “both”.

App lying the grid layout technique is a great way to create a visually appealing design that is easy to understand and maintain. It also allows you to easily define how elements should be positioned within the grid, making it simple to adjust as needed.

– ABSOLUTE POSITIONING

When it comes to CSS, there are a few different methods that can be used to center elements on a web page. The most common method is to use the text-align property, which can be applied to both block-level and inline elements. However, this method only works if the width of the element is explicitly set.

Another method that can be used is the margin: auto; technique. This can be applied to block-level elements that have a set width, and will cause the element to be centered within its containing element.

If you want to center an element that is not a block-level element, or if you don’t want to set a width, then you can use the absolute positioning technique. With absolute positioning, you can specify exactly where you want an element to appear on the page using the left and top properties. You also need to set the position property to “absolute” for this technique to work.

– RELATIVE POSITIONING

When it comes to CSS, there are a few different ways to center elements on a web page. The most common method is to use the “text-align” property. This can be applied to either the entire page or to individual elements. For example, to center all of the text on your page, you would add the following CSS rule to your stylesheet:

body { text-align: center; }

You can also use the “text-align” property to center specific elements on your page, like images, blockquote, etc. For example, if you want to center an image that’s inside a div element, you would add the following CSS rule:

div { text-align: center; } img { /* this is for centering images */ display: block; margin: 0 auto; /* important */ /* top and bottom margins are 0 */ width: 50%; /* image width can be anything less than or equal to container width */ }

Another way to center elements is by using the “margin” property. You can set the left and right margins to “auto”, which will evenly distribute them within the containing element. This works for both block level and inline elements. For example, if you want to center a div element on your page, you would add the following CSS rule:

div { margin-left: auto; /* important */ margin-right: auto; /* important */ width: 50%; /* div width can be anything less than or equal to its parent container width */ }

Finally, you can use the “position” property with the “relative” value. This will set an element’s position relative to its containing element and then center it using margins. For example, if you want to center a div element on your page, you would add the following CSS rule:

div { position: relative; /* important */ left: 50%; /* important */ top: 50%; /* important */ margin-left: -25%; /* important */ margin-top: -25%; /* important */ width: 50%; /* div width can be anything less than or equal to its parent container width */ }

– TRANSLATE METHOD

When it comes to centering elements using CSS, there are a few different methods you can use. The ‘translate’ method is one of the more popular and effective techniques.

With the translate method, you can essentially move an element around on the page until it’s perfectly centered. To do this, you’ll need to set the element’s ‘transform’ property to ‘translate(X, Y)’. X and Y represent the amount of pixels you want to move the element horizontally and vertically, respectively.

For example, if you wanted to center an element horizontally on a page, you would set the X value to ‘50%’ and leave the Y value at ‘0px’. This would cause the element to be positioned 50% from the left side of the page (the exact center).

You can also use negative values for X and Y if you want to move an element up or left from its current position. So, if you wanted to move an element 10px to the left and 5px up from its current position, you would set the X value to ‘-10px’ and the Y value to ‘-5px’.

Once you have your desired position set, all that’s left is to add some vendor prefixes (-webkit-, -moz-, etc.) so that your CSS will work across all browsers.

– MARGIN AUTO METHOD

When it comes to CSS, there are a number of different methods that can be used to center elements on a web page. One popular method is known as the margin auto technique. This approach is relatively simple and only requires a few lines of code.

Here’s how the margin auto method works:

First, you need to set the width of the element that you want to center. This can be done using the width property in CSS. Next, you need to set the left and right margins to auto. This will cause the browser to automatically calculate equal margins for the element, effectively centering it on the page.

And that’s all there is to it! The margin auto method is a quick and easy way to center elements using CSS. Give it a try next time you’re working on a web project.

– TEXT ALIGN PROPERTY METHOD

The text-align property is a CSS method for centering elements on a web page. This can be done horizontally, vertically, or both.

To center horizontally, you would use the text-align: center; property. This is probably the most common way to center elements on a web page.

To center vertically, you need to use a different method. One way to do this is by setting the element’s height and width properties to 100%. Then, set the top and bottom margins to auto. This will make the element centered vertically on the page.

You can also use the flexbox model to center elements vertically. The flexbox model is powerful and has many other applications beyond centering elements. If you’re not familiar with flexbox, there are plenty of tutorials online that can help you get started.

– TRANSFORM PROPERTY METHOD

When it comes to centering elements using CSS, the transform property method is one of the most effective. This is because it allows you to center an element horizontally and vertically at the same time.

To use this method, you first need to add the following CSS code to your element:

transform: translate(-50%, -50%);

This will cause your element to be positioned 50% from the top and 50% from the bottom of its containing element. As a result, it will be horizontally and vertically centered.

CONCLUSION

CSS centering elements is a simple but effective way to improve the visual appeal of your website. By implementing these techniques, you can create attractive and well-balanced designs that are both eye-catching and easy to read. With the help of CSS, you can add custom styles to your webpages in no time at all.

So don’t wait any longer – get started with centering elements using CSS and elevate your website’s visual appeal today!

[cravetive]

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗗

✩｡ Pairings: Neighbor!Jungkook x Fem!reader

✩｡ Synopsis: Y/n didn't think testing out a new sex toy would cause so much havoc but no worries, her next-door neighbor Jungkook doesn't mind lending her a bit of assistance.

✩｡Warnings: Smut! cussing, mentions of masturbation, spanking, doggy style, sex in a public place, unprotected sex (sigh), teasing, creampie, rough sex, pinning, sex toys, sweat and other bodily fluids, a bit of exhibitionism i guess (elevators have cameras), sexual frustration, consensual sex, if you're reading this for the plot don't, there is no plot.

✩｡ Authors Note: lord give me one chance, one chance is all i need.

✩｡ Word Count: 5.k

-

“Are you using it right now?”

“Yes, it’s a bit uncomfortable, to be honest.”

“Omg! Are you in public?!”

“I just made a quick run to the convenience store for a few snacks.”

“Oh, you’re brave” Mina, Y/n’s friend spoke through the phone that was pressed between her ear and shoulder. Y/n sighed, grabbing a bottle of water and making her way to the front of the store. “it’s in low mode anyways, it just feels like I’m riding the bus on an unpaved street” Y/n laughed whilst placing her items onto the counter for the cashier to scan.  

“I've never had anyone try it out in public, this is exciting!” Y/n rolled her eyes and scanned her card, grabbing her receipt and bag before stepping out of the convenience store and into the scorching sun of July.

“Relax I’ll be home in like 3 seconds” Y/n huffed, wiping some of the sweat beaming on her forehead. Having been locked in her air-conditioned apartment for the last 2 days had caused her to forget the heat wave that had taken over the city in the last week and it didn’t matter that she was wearing her shortest summer dress because she felt like she was boiling alive.

“Okay, just remember you can change the motions and speed on the app, but I would recommend you start off slow so that you can adjust” Mina spoke urgently on the phone, but Y/n could only focus on her apartment building as it came into view, her flip flops dragging against the pavement as she took hurried steps. “Yes, yes just know that you owe me big time!” Y/n yelled into the phone.

Y/n wasn’t experimental in any aspect of her life, she liked what she liked, and she knew what she didn’t. Her life was simple, boring as Mina would describe it, but she preferred it that way, it had worked out for her, and she didn’t see the need to stray from it. which had only made her that much more apprehensive when Mina came to her with the proposition of testing out one of the new sex toys her company was developing.

Y/n didn’t like the idea at all, and she had even readied herself to decline but upon noticing the desperation in Mina’s eyes that late afternoon she just couldn’t bring herself to say no. Y/n first-handedly witnessed how hard Mina had worked on this project and she couldn’t be the reason behind its failure which had led her to reluctantly accept. It had only taken 4 days for the package to be delivered to her front door, the small box containing the pink bullet vibrator Mina had designed which was now nestled between her legs.

“I will kiss the ground you walk on after this!” Mina promised on the other end of the call which caused Y/n to laugh as she stepped into her building. her feet shuffled as she leaned forward to tap on the elevator button and She subconsciously pressed her legs together as she stood waiting for the doors to open, the low vibrations from the toy leaving her a bit out of breath.

“Alright, I’ll call you back later on” Y/n huffed which caused Mina to giggle on the other end.

“Hot and bothered already?” Mina joked which caused Y/n’s already flushed cheeks to deepen in color.

“Shut up, it’s the heat” Y/n yelled as she watched the elevator doors open.

“sureeeee” Mina teased which led Y/n to end the call without further explanation.

She stepped into the small space and pressed the button to her floor before standing all the way back into the corner, her back pressed into the mirrored wall behind her. Y/n bit her bottom lip as she watched the elevator doors close slowly. she didn’t understand the buzz behind these sex toys or this market, the bullet wasn’t even doing anything to stimulate her and if she was honest, the vibration alone was starting to irritate her.

Y/n was sure her hand could do a better job.

“Hold it!” a voice shouted which caused Y/n to snap out of her frustrated trance, she reached forward and stopped the doors from shutting. The voice’s owner rushed inside, and Y/n took in his flustered appearance as he turned back to thank her. She recognized him as the man who lived 2 doors away from her and was notoriously known for his loud parties and for the woman who came and went from his apartment. It had been more than a few times she had found herself knocking on his door at 3 am due to the loud music.

And if it wasn’t for the fact that the guy was easy on the eyes she probably would’ve already complained to management.

 His name is Chun-woo? Jungkook? Something like that she thought.

Y/n offered him a small and awkward smile before pressing herself against the wall once again. She rarely ever interacted with any of the residents in the building and today would not be the exception. She was already hot and sweaty and all she wanted to do was to get to her cool air-conditioned apartment and binge on her delicious snacks.

“It’s really hot outside” the man commented, tapping on the button that Y/n had already pressed earlier. She dragged her eyes over to his back and hummed, nodding her head in agreement.

“you’re from apartment 902 right?” He glanced back at her, and she noticed the piercing that wrapped around the end of his bottom lip, she had never stood as close to him to notice it before and for some reason it only made him appear that much more handsome.

“Yeah” she smiled, squirming in the small space in which she stood.

Within the silence that soon overtook the small elevator, she could hear the way the man struggled to catch his breath, having fallen victim to the heat wave outside. His long black hair had stuck to the dampened skin of his forehead and his broad shoulders rose and fell as the elevator began to ascend.

Y/n tried to focus her eyes on the floor beneath her and not on the man who stood there with his back now turned to her but ever so often she would find herself staring at the white loose fitted t-shirt he wore, drenched with his sweat. She also tried to stop herself from biting down on her bottom lip while she noticed the muscles that pressed from the thin material around his shoulders while subconsciously rubbing her legs together.

It was rude to stare, she knew that, but the elevator was so crammed there were only so many alternative places she could look, and he was so tall, so broad and his tattooed arm called for her attention, the intricate colors and patterns leaving her in a trance…she blinked quickly, her cheeks turning crimson from the thoughts flooding through her mind.

She opted to stare at the ceiling instead, noticing the way the bright lights would flicker subtly as the elevator continued to climb levels, and then suddenly there came a pulsation from between her legs, one that was probably already there but she hadn’t been able to notice before. Her eyes widened in horror as her mind registered the cause and her hand reached for her phone in urgency as the small vibrations from the small toy caused a faint sound inside the compact space.

“Do you hear that?” Jungkook spoke, turning to look at a very disheveled Y/n, she looked back to him in pure embarrassment, her fingers frantically searching for the app her best friend had downloaded onto her phone. 

“Mhm? Ah No, I think it’s the elevator” she giggled nervously and Jungkook nodded, biting down on his lip and turning to face the elevator doors once again.

Y/n had forgotten all about the small object that lowly vibrated inside of her, which was now causing her clit to pulsate painfully under her black thong. Her hands shook as she pressed on the pink icon shining through her screen, and her eyes scanned the app quickly trying to find the off button on the small evil little thing stuck inside her pussy.

“fuck” she breathed as sweat beads began to form on her skin.

The panic running through her body didn’t allow her to focus on the small words in front of her, no matter how hard she squinted. Her fingers continued to urgently press against random buttons, trying to shut off the damn thing but all she had accomplished was for it to change motions, going from a light vibration to full-on pumping. She covered her mouth in shock at the new movement and gripped the handrailing on her side for support.

“how the fuck- “she groaned.

“What was that?” Jungkook asked, looking at her through the reflection on the doors and for a moment she loathed how attentive this man was.

Y/n could only shake her head, her hand trembling against her phone while she tried to overpower the sensation taking over her body.

She had underestimated the damn thing, thinking all would be good if she kept it at a low tempo, who even goes to the store with a sex toy in their pussy? She cursed herself for the irrational idea.

She stared at the screen in concentration, soon finding the pulse button and beginning to tap on it frantically but the thing wouldn’t budge and soon she felt the speed increase. Her mouth widened in horror; her eyes fluttered closed as the vibrations rocked through her body in waves and soon her breaths became extremely uneven. She hoped and prayed her neighbor wouldn’t notice but Jungkook watched from the distorted reflection in front of him at how much she struggled to stay still.

She was sure the universe hated her, she must have been paying for some karmic event she had forgotten about because there was no way in hell this was happening to her.

Suddenly almost as if in coordination, the elevator began to tremble underneath her feet and then her eyes opened wide, was this a figment of her imagination? Was this a silly joke being played on her by the gods? Was this punishment for experimenting with her sex life?

The elevator shook uncontrollably causing Y/n to lose grip of the railing, she fell onto the floor with a loud thud, her bag of snacks ripping open and spilling its contents on the floor. The lights above her flickered on and off and then everything stopped.

Her heart, the rocking of the floor, her brain, and even the elevator came to an abrupt halt but not the vibrations between her legs, it was the only thing that remained as her body squirmed on the floor from the pulsations erupting from her clit.  

“What the fuck” Jungkook muttered as he held onto one of the railings, his arms strained with veins running under the skin as he was too shaken by the sudden tremble.

“Did we just have an earthquake?” he exclaimed while his eyes trailed to the spot where Y/n once stood but she was no longer there and then his eyes trailed down, where he found Y/n thrown across the floor along with her snacks. Jungkook let go of the railing and reached for her limp body in an attempt to help her.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, taking a step towards her but Y/n squirmed, backing into the wall behind her.

“Hey, relax” he spoke, his voice but a whisper as he grabbed onto her arm and lifted her off from the floor. She whimpered as he brought her back onto her feet, her hands holding onto his forearms for support.

“I think we’re stuck” he concluded, unable to feel the motion of the elevator beneath his feet. Y/n didn’t say a word, afraid that her attempts at speaking would demonstrate the utter pleasure she was in, and she was mortified. Jungkook noticed the way she slightly trembled underneath his touch, her eyes looking up at his in fear and then an urgency to calm her came over him.

“don’t worry, we can just call someone to help us” he removed his eyes from the agitated woman and scanned the panel at the side of the door, reaching to tap on the red button at the very end. Y/n could only focus on 2 things, the wetness that soon pooled through the thin fabric of her panties and the feeling of his hand on her arm.

His hands were big and soft, and she could feel the small callouses on his palm pressing against her skin. She had to get out of this situation and quickly, she could feel the pressure building in her gut and it was familiar to the one she always got when pleasuring herself during late nights.

She was going to come.

She should’ve been focused on the elevator, on trying to get out of the cramped space, and not on coming undone in front of her neighbor from 2 doors down while he held her. She pushed aside her current desires and removed her eyes from Jungkook's hand on her arm. She carefully scanned the floor for her cell phone and once in her view, she bent down to collect it, her hand fumbling with the device as she picked it up from the floor.

When she turned it over, her heart plummeted. The screen had cracked completely, a few pieces of glass missing, and the screen blinked in different colors in front of her. at that very moment, she wished the elevator would plummet down to her death, she gasped for air as the realization hit her that the only other option she had was to remove the little bullet herself, but she couldn’t, she wouldn’t.

What would her neighbor think? She would have to move from the building entirely to escape from the humiliation alone. What would she even say? oh, hey yeah hold on a minute let me remove my SEX TOY from my vagina…she was mortified.

Her attention was drawn back to the elevator in which she stood as a voice appeared from within the small speaker inside the panel and her heart skipped a beat at the sudden relief that someone would come to help her leave this hellish predicament.

“Sun tower, how can we help you?”

“Uh yea, listen we’re stuck in the elevator” Jungkook spoke his hand reaching to wipe away some of the sweat forming on his face.

“Oh yes sir, sorry about that the building has lost power due to the heat but no worries we are working on the issue, and the elevator should be up and running in no time” Y/n groaned in frustration, deciding it would be best to move away from Jungkook’s touch entirely and found her place back to the corner of the elevator.

“How long do you think it’ll take?” Jungkook sighed, growing frustrated with the entire situation.

“Mhmm, it should take about an hour” the person informed.  Y/n jolted in surprise, An hour!? Y/n wouldn’t be able to hold off for an hour. Her legs were trembling, and her heart was beating abnormally fast against her chest. She knew her body and she had a good 5 minutes at best.  She ran to the speaker, attempting to focus on controlling her body as she screamed into it in desperation.

“No sir” she moaned, her teeth coming down to bite down harshly on her lips as she attempted to contain herself “You don’t understand I need to get out of here!” her hands held onto the elevator panel for dear life, and she was almost at the verge of tears. “Sorry ma’am we are doing everything we can” Her breaths were uneven as she retracted from the wall, her hands falling by her sides in defeat.

Jungkook noticed the way she struggled to breathe, her chest heaving as she attempted to bring oxygen to her lungs and his eyes squinted in suspicion.

“Hey, are you okay” he asked again, taking a few steps towards her but Y/n raised her hands, her stare darkened and blurred. “Please just stay on that side” she panted, her legs pressing together once again as she battled with another moan that sat on her tongue.

“Are you claustrophobic?” Jungkook asked and oh how Y/n wished that was the reason her body convulsed in the way it did now, her extremities shaking at the feeling of the sex toy vibrating inside of her.

“I-i” she whimpered, attempting to form words but her brain was too consumed by the pumping between her legs, her hands reaching to force her hips from buckling at the feeling. She promised herself she would never speak to Mina again, this was all her fault, she didn’t even want to do this and now she was masturbating in front of this complete stranger. She leaned over and her mouth fell wide open, a loud yelp falling from within.

“woah” Jungkook rushed to her side, his hands reaching to give her support but that only caused her to shiver, the stimulation of both the toy and the man holding her throwing her into complete disarray.

“What is that buzzing sound?” Jungkook asked again, his eyes falling on the floor in an attempt to find the source, but he was met with bags of chips and bottles of water. He focused his hearing on the sound, it was faint, but it was there, and it was driving him crazy. He followed the sound and once his eyes reached the exposed skin of Y/n legs, he looked up into her eyes in surprise.

She looked back at him in embarrassment, her face reddened in shame as sweat trickled down her forehead. She didn’t have the energy to pretend anymore or to try to explain how she wasn’t a sex addict of some sort, she could no longer control what was happening, deciding that she was no match against the orgasm that would soon rock through her.

“Are you? - “his eyes looked into hers and a moan escaped her lips in response. His body tensed at the realization, but he couldn’t take his eyes off hers, entranced by the way she trembled underneath his hands. “Is that?” he gulped looking back down to her shaking legs.

“ah fuck” Y/n moaned, burying her face into his chest, the action causing Jungkook’s heart to leap out of its position. he should’ve been focusing on the predicament they were in, how it would take an hour for the apartment to get them out of there, how hot it had gotten in the cramped space, but he could only think about the girl who was coming undone in his arms, soft pants and moans erupting from her lips into his chest.

“My phone” she whimpered “Ah my phone is broken” She gripped his arms trying to regain control of her body but it was no use, she had been pushed past her limit and she could feel her arousal drip from between her legs.

Jungkook couldn’t ignore the way her whimpers caused goosebumps on his skin, the way her soft moans called upon his member to rise and press against the fabric of his underwear. It was wrong and he knew it, she was vulnerable and unraveling in front of him, but he couldn’t fight it, he was salivating at the thought of what her pussy would look like underneath the skirt of her dress, he imagined it glistening with her juices as the toy moved inside of her and his dick quivered underneath the constraints of his clothes.

“Can I-? “He whispered his half-lidded eyes glancing into hers with lust and desperation.

“Can I help you?” Jungkook gulped, his body tensing at the question. He wouldn’t be surprised if she pushed him back and screamed at him, in under different circumstances he probably wouldn’t have been so upfront, but they had an hour to kill and it almost pained him to see her like this, the toy not being able to assist her in the way he knew he could.

It took a moment too long for Y/n to realize what he was asking, it was not like she was even in the right state of mind to think over anything at that moment yet, she nodded her head miserably, her eyes shutting as another wave of pleasure ran through her body whilst she permitted him to assist her.

“Shhh don’t worry, I’ll take care of you” Jungkook whispered into her ear which lured a moan out of her lips.

He moved in front of her, and his eager mouth found hers, their lips melting as they slid against each other, Jungkook felt the warmth of her skin as she pressed her body into his and his hands snaked along the fabric of her short dress. She was so complaint, so willing and it was driving him over the edge. He responded by pressing his body against hers and she soon felt Jungkook’s prominent boner against her lower belly.

She wondered how long he had been that hard, how long was he pondering if he could fuck her…Y/n wasn’t like this, she didn’t think about these things, and she also wasn’t often so eager to fuck a stranger in the elevator. She couldn’t control herself; she needed relief, and she needed it fast.

“mm gonna take it out” Jungkook dragged his lips away from hers with a hum and trailed his fingers down to the hem of her dress. Y/n whimpered as he teased her, his fingers hovering over the skin of her thighs which were tightly pressed together in an attempt to stop her wetness from dripping down her legs.

“Is that okay?” Jungkook whispered, staring back into her eyes with hunger and she was sure that look alone was going to have her spazzing in a short moment.

He guided his hand past her thighs, his fingers brushing by the hem of her panties and hooking his fingers along them, Y/n threw her head back in pleasure at the intrusion, her legs shaking beneath her as he played with the lace material that was between his digits.

“p-please” she begged, her body trembling from the mere anticipation.

Jungkook smirked at the sight before him, he loved the control he had, loved the fact that she needed him. he unhooked his fingers and dipped his hand inside her panties, turning it over so that his palm was now facing her sensitive clit and applied just enough pressure to make her squirm.

“Fuck, you’re wet” Jungkook hissed, his lips finding shelter on the exposed skin of her neck.

“p-please” Y/n whimpered, unable to repress the longing from between her legs.

Jungkook dipped his hand down further, finding the toy embedded between her warm walls, and groaned at the feeling of her juices coating his fingers as he slowly extracted the toy from its rightful home. The pink little object vibrated against his hand, and he chuckled lowly at the feeling, Y/n sighed in relief, perhaps thinking that was the end of her torment.

Her pussy pulsated sorely, her mind clouded by the impending climax that pressed down on her gut and she needed it, she needed it badly. She pulled Jungkook closer and crashed her mouth into his with eagerness. She would often hear the screams of pleasure that poured out of Jungkook’s apartment when she walked past his door and right now, she needed him to help her in the same way.

Y/n reached for the strings of his sweatpants and quickly undid the knot there, pulling them down from his waist and then dipping her hand into his underwear where she found his rock-hard cock, painfully quivering against the material. Jungkook groaned into her mouth, his body lurching forward at the sensation of her warm hand stroking him under his Calvin Kleins.

“fuck” he muttered as he pulled away from her kiss, his eyes fluttering close.

“I want to fuck you so bad” he groaned, his hands reaching to caress her breasts through the fabric of her dress.

“Then fuck me” Y/n moaned, and it didn’t take more than a second for Jungkook to turn her around and press her against the mirror of the elevator, his hands moving quickly to pull down her black thong and throwing it across the floor. He parted her legs and Y/n watched from the reflection as he licked his lips in admiration.

She didn’t know what she had gotten herself into and she sure as hell wasn’t prepared but she didn’t care, she needed his cock inside of her walls and that’s all she could think about.

Jungkook pushed down his underwear, exposing his cock as he gave it a few more pumps before aligning himself to her welcoming pussy. He watched her arousal drip from her core, and he whimpered at the sight. it was all that he had expected and more, he slowly dragged the tip of his cock against her wet folds which caused Y/n to yelp, her hands reaching to grip the handrails for support.

They moaned in unison as he entered her walls, her legs bucking as he began to move himself inside of her. Jungkook moved slowly, patiently waiting for her to adjust to his length but the feeling of her walls gripping him tightly like his dick was meant to be there was urging him to lose control and it didn’t help that he had a full view of her ass while his dick retracted from her pussy ever so slightly.

“f-fuck me harder” she moaned, and Y/n was sure she had never used those words before, but it was all the instructions Jungkook needed to pick up his pace. He began to thrust roughly inside of her, his hands coming down to hold her hips in place, keeping her from moving away as he pounded into her. Y/n leaned her head against the mirror, her mouth wide open as whimpers and moans fell from it.

The small elevator was soon filled with the symphony of moans and skin clashing together, Y/n could feel a burning sensation building as Jungkook kept his tempo, his black locks hanging over his face as he continued to ram into her. his hand came down quickly against her ass cheek, leaving a red imprint there and Y/n screamed in excitement.

“look how good you’re taking it” Jungkook moaned as he watched his wet cock retract and enter into her pussy over and over again. he reached underneath where their bodies remained interlinked and pressed the vibrating bullet that was still in his hand against her clit. Y/n yelped; her eyes fluttering shut at the sudden action.

“Come on, be a good girl, you know you can take it” he hummed his eyes taking in the way he was completely destroying her. He removed his other hand from her hip and reached to grab her arms, pulling them behind her back and pinning them tightly together on her lower back. Y/n shrieked in pleasure, sweat dripping down the sides of her face.

Jungkook moved his hips skillfully as he fucked into her, his eyes remaining on the view of her ass trembling as his cock glistened with her juices. It was beautiful and it only made his cock pulse with anticipation. He bit down on his lip as groans poured from his chest. never in a million years did he ever think he would be fucking his neighbor but never in a million years did he ever want to stop.

Y/n felt her clit vibrate against the toy, the nerves there buzzing with enjoyment. Her arousal dripped from between her legs onto the silicone material and down Jungkook’s hand, but he kept it pressed there while he hammered into her. She didn’t know if she liked it rough but whatever it was, he was doing, she wanted him to keep going.  

“Come for me baby” he moaned, licking his lips as if he was tasting her juices in his mouth. “I know how badly you want to come” his hand came down harshly against her ass cheek again and Y/n responded with a yelp. Y/n was bent over, her tits flowing past her dress and her hair a mess, but she could only focus on the feeling of Jungkook’s balls slapping against her clit, the bullet that worked hard to keep up with Jungkook’s thrusts, and the way this man was fucking her into oblivion.

It felt good, fuck that, it felt amazing.

Jungkook plunged into her pussy with such need, with such desire that she was sure he was close to his climax as well. Y/n’s walls clenched around his cock, urging him to come undone inside of her and Jungkook groaned loudly, his hips beginning to move with a mind of their own as he searched for his own relief.

“Ah'm gonna come” Y/n yelled, her legs giving out from under her as they began to tremble, but Jungkook held her, and gave her the support she needed. He pressed her against the mirror and continued his pace, his eyes trailing to the reflection in front of them.

“Look at us baby, look how good you look while I fuck into you” he whispered into Y/n’s ear, his eyes falling on her hooded eyes and reddened cheeks. Her walls were tight and warm, and he knew he wouldn’t last long, his hand fell on her hip once more, gripping it there while he continued to drive into her quickly. Y/n couldn’t take her eyes from his strained arms, the way his veins stuck out from underneath the skin as he gave her his all, it was almost poetic and that’s all it took for her to reach the peak, her body shuddering against the wall and Jungkook’s chest. Y/n couldn��t hear anything, her eyes falling tightly shut as her orgasm rippled through her body. Her senses were completely gone as she tried to control herself and then there was a sudden warmness dripping from her core, it dripped down her legs and onto the floor.

“Fuck, you squirted baby” Jungkook groaned, his hips buckled and with one last hard thrust, he came into her quenched walls. He let out a trail of curse words Y/n couldn’t make out, too stuck on the way she had unraveled.

She had never felt something so euphoric, and she felt guilty about it.

Jungkook removed the toy that had remained pressed against her clit and threw it on the floor beside them. the bullet buzzed and jolted on the floor before turning off. Y/n blinked her eyes open and stared at the floor in shock, the little fucking thing had finally given out after tormenting her for so long, but she was too high off her orgasm, unable to find any other emotion but relief.

She turned over and looked up at Jungkook, his face was flushed just like hers and sweat dripped from his forehead as he adjusted his dick back in his sweats, a small smirk appearing on his face once he glanced back at her. He reached down to grab her thong and assisted her with slipping it back up her legs, his stare remaining on her. He took in how her chest rose and fell with each harsh breath she took. His fingers glided upward against the sides of her legs as he brought her panties back, his hands landing on the sides of her hips before grabbing the hem of her dress and sliding the fabric down to its rightful place.

Y/n was beyond embarrassed and sore, she didn’t know what to say to the man who had just fucked her literally senseless. Thank You? no that was fucking ridiculous. She reached for her bottle of water and extended her arm out to Jungkook, offering him some refreshment, it was the best she could do given the circumstances.

“Here, drink some” she smiled while Jungkook reached for the bottle, removing the cap and bringing it to his lips, taking a large gulp.

“don’t use those stupid toys anymore, next time just knock on my door” Jungkook muttered, passing her the bottle. Y/n nodded biting down on her lip before taking a drink herself.

“Hello! Is everyone okay? we are coming in to get you out” a voice yelled from outside the elevator doors. They both giggled at each other before innocently standing side by side waiting to be freed from the confined space.  

© 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝.

[owoeyeoseroghokijawft]

There's a fox in the chicken coop! Investigation reveals US Agency for International Development provides non-military related funds to Ukraine

The picture shows the USAID headquarters in Washington, DC. (Photo: Reuters)

[Voice of Hope, February 26, 2025] (Voice of Hope reporter Chen Wenyun compiled) Investigators revealed to the North American Epoch Times that officials of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) repeatedly refused investigators from the Senate #DOGE Caucus Chair, Senator Joni Erns (Joni Erns) working group to review documents related to US tax funds allegedly used to help #Ukraine resist Russian invasion.

When investigators were finally allowed to view the documents, they were "stored in a highly secure room at USAID headquarters and strictly monitored," even though "nothing shared by USAID was confidential."

During the investigation, Ernst discovered that USAID's multi-million dollar project "exists in secret funds to put millions of American taxpayers' money into Ukraine for questionable purposes unrelated to our national interests."

“Funds that should have been used to ease the war-torn country’s economic woes were instead used for unimportant activities, such as sending Ukrainian models and designers to New York, London Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week and the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas,” investigators said.

One of the secret funds provided $114,000 to purchase a “high-end limited edition furniture line” and another $91,000 to fund a “trade mission for a Scandinavian-style furniture line.”

Investigators found that USAID also provided $148,000 in grants to “a pickle maker,” $255,000 to “an organic tea and coffee producer,” $104,000 to “an artisanal fruit tea company,” and $89,000 in support to “a Ukrainian vineyard.”

USAID also provided $300,000 each to a dog collar manufacturer and a company that sells pet tracking apps, $161,000 to "a modern knitwear supplier," $126,000 to "a photographer for a fashion design publication," and $84,000 in support to "a luxury bridal brand."

Ernst first began investigating USAID in November 2023, when he wrote a letter to then-USAID Administrator Samantha Power.

“I firmly support providing weapons and ammunition to Ukrainian militants to fight Putin,” Ernst told Power, “but I am not willing to spend nearly $25 billion of hard-earned U.S. taxpayer dollars on so-called economic aid to Ukraine, including subsidies for overseas businesses like a ‘luxury contemporary knit fashion store’ in Kyiv.”

In a Feb. 4 letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ernst said that “USAID has deliberately abused a system designed to protect the security of our nation’s classified information in order to limit congressional oversight of public information.”

Rubio replaced Power as acting administrator of USAID earlier this month. Most of the agency’s employees are on administrative leave, and layoffs are underway that could eliminate as many as 2,000 positions within the agency.

The Epoch Times obtained information about Ernst’s investigation the same day the House DOGE subcommittee prepared to hold a hearing focused on how USAID officials allocated at least $122 million in U.S. tax dollars to multiple organizations operating in the Middle East with documented ties to Hamas, Hezbollah, and al-Qaeda terrorist groups.

Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum (MEF), told The Epoch Times on Tuesday (25th) that he would testify before the hearing panel that “there is a fox in the henhouse of our foreign aid system!”

Roman said, “This problem started under the Obama administration, intensified under the Biden administration, and now requires immediate action to stop the dangerous mismanagement and deadly ethical chaos.” “We are not just talking about waste, fraud, and abuse, this is a national security issue. Every dollar misused destabilizes conflict zones and endangers American lives.”

MEF investigators confirmed the evidence of terrorist links through U.S. government documents, USAID records, and other public sources of information.

The House DOGE Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, is part of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer. The House DOGE Panel, like the Senate DOGE Panel, was created in response to President Trump’s creation of the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

DOGE is conducting a forensic audit of federal spending across all federal departments and agencies. One of the first agencies to be reviewed is USAID.

“The revelations that the DOGE team uncovered together with USAID are shocking, but this is just the tip of the iceberg!” Greene said in a statement announcing the hearing on Wednesday (26th).

[mariacallous]

Before Duolingo wiped its videos from TikTok and Instagram in mid-May, social media engagement was one of the language-learning app’s most recognizable qualities. Its green owl mascot had gone viral multiple times and was well known to younger users—a success story other marketers envied.

But, when news got out that Duolingo was making the switch to become an “AI-first” company, planning to replace contractors who work on tasks generative AI could automate, public perception of the brand soured.

Young people started posting on social media about how they were outraged at Duolingo as they performatively deleted the app—even if it meant losing the precious streak awards they earned through continued, daily usage. The comments on Duolingo’s TikTok posts in the days after the announcement were filled with rage, primarily focused on a single aspect: workers being replaced with automation.

The negative response online is indicative of a larger trend: Right now, though a growing number of Americans use ChatGPT, many people are sick of AI’s encroachment into their lives and are ready to fight back.

When reached for comment, Duolingo spokesperson Sam Dalsimer stressed that “AI isn’t replacing our staff” and said all AI-generated content on the platform would be created “under the direction and guidance of our learning experts.” The company's plan is still to reduce its use of non-staff contractors for tasks that can be automated using generative AI.

Duolingo’s embrace of workplace automation is part of a broad shift within the tech industry. Leaders at Klarna, a buy now, pay later service, and Salesforce, a software company, have also made sweeping statements about AI reducing the need for new hires in roles like customer service and engineering. These decisions were being made at the same time as developers sold “agents,” which are designed to automate software tasks, as a way to reduce the amount of workers needed to complete certain tasks.

Still, the potential threat of bosses attempting to replace human workers with AI agents is just one of many compounding reasons people are critical of generative AI. Add that to the error-ridden outputs, the environmental damage, the potential mental health impacts for users, and the concerns about copyright violations when AI tools are trained on existing works.

Many people were initially in awe of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools when they first arrived in late 2022. You could make a cartoon of a duck riding a motorcycle! But soon artists started speaking out, noting that their visual and textual works were being scraped to train these systems. The pushback from the creative community ramped up during the 2023 Hollywood writer's strike, and continued to accelerate through the current wave of copyright lawsuits brought by publishers, creatives, and Hollywood studios.

Right now, the general vibe aligns even more with the side of impacted workers. “I think there is a new sort of ambient animosity towards the AI systems,” says Brian Merchant, former WIRED contributor and author of Blood in the Machine, a book about the Luddites rebelling against worker-replacing technology. “AI companies have speedrun the Silicon Valley trajectory.”

Before ChatGPT’s release, around 38 percent of US adults were more concerned than excited about increased AI usage in daily life, according to the Pew Research Center. The number shot up to 52 percent by late 2023, as the public reacted to the speedy spread of generative AI. The level of concern has hovered around that same threshold ever since.

Ethical AI researchers have long warned about the potential negative impacts of this technology. The amplification of harmful stereotypes, increased environmental pollution, and potential displacement of workers are all widely researched and reported. These concerns were often previously reserved to academic discourse and online leftists paying attention to labor issues.

As AI outputs continued to proliferate, so did the cutting jokes. Alex Hanna, coauthor of The AI Con and director of research at the Distributed AI Research Institute, mentions how people have been “trolling” in the comment sections of YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels whenever they see AI-generated content in their feeds. “I've seen this on the web for a while,” she says.

This generalized animosity towards AI has not abated over time. Rather, it’s metastasized. LinkedIn users have complained about being constantly prompted with AI-generated questions. Spotify listeners have been frustrated to hear AI-generated podcasts recapping their top-listened songs. Reddit posters have been upset to see AI-generated images on their microwavable noodles at the grocery store.

Tensions are so high that even the suspicion of AI usage is now enough to draw criticism. I wouldn’t be surprised if social media users screenshotted the em dashes in this piece—a supposed giveaway of AI-generated text outputs—and cast suspicions about whether I used a chatbot to spin up sections of the article.

A few days after I first contacted Duolingo for comment, the company hid all of its social media videos on TikTok and Instagram. But, soon the green owl was back online with a satirical post about conspiracy theories. “I’ve had it with the CEOs and those in power. It’s time we show them who’s in charge,” said a person wearing a three-eyed Duolingo mask. The video uploaded right afterwards was a direct message from the company’s CEO attempting to explain how humans would still be working at Duolingo, but AI could help them produce more language learning courses.

While the videos got millions of views on TikTok, the top comments continued to criticize Duolingo for AI-enabled automation: “Keep in mind they are still using AI for their lessons, this doesn’t change anything.”

This frustration over AI’s steady creep has breached the container of social media and started manifesting more in the real world. Parents I talk to are concerned about AI use impacting their child’s mental health. Couples are worried about chatbot addictions driving a wedge in their relationships. Rural communities are incensed that the newly built data centers required to power these AI tools are kept humming by generators that burn fossil fuels, polluting their air, water, and soil. As a whole, the benefits of AI seem esoteric and underwhelming while the harms feel transformative and immediate.

Unlike the dawn of the internet where democratized access to information empowered everyday people in unique, surprising ways, the generative AI era has been defined by half-baked software releases and threats of AI replacing human workers, especially for recent college graduates looking to find entry-level work.

“Our innovation ecosystem in the 20th century was about making opportunities for human flourishing more accessible,” says Shannon Vallor, a technology philosopher at the Edinburgh Futures Institute and author of The AI Mirror, a book about reclaiming human agency from algorithms. “Now, we have an era of innovation where the greatest opportunities the technology creates are for those already enjoying a disproportionate share of strengths and resources.”

Not only are the rich getting richer during the AI era, but many of the technology’s harms are falling on people of color and other marginalized communities. “Data centers are being located in these really poor areas that tend to be more heavily Black and brown,” Hanna says. She points out how locals have not just been fighting back online, but have also been organizing even more in-person to protect their communities from environmental pollution. We saw this in Memphis, Tennessee, recently, where Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI is building a large data center with over 30 methane-gas-powered generators that are spewing harmful exhaust.

The impacts of generative AI on the workforce are another core issue that critics are organizing around. “Workers are more intuitive than a lot of the pundit class gives them credit for,” says Merchant. “They know this has been a naked attempt to get rid of people.” The next major shift in public opinion will likely follow previous patterns, occurring when broad swaths of workers feel further threatened and organize in response. And this time, the in-person protests may be just as big as the online backlash.

[zoptalsolution]

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, having a visually appealing brand presence and a seamlessly functioning mobile application is crucial for business success. The demand for top-notch graphic design services and cutting-edge application development has never been higher. In this article, we delve into the criteria for identifying the best graphic designer services and the top Android app development company in the USA.

[mintconditioned]

attention is currency. stop giving it away for free.

every platform wants your attention because your attention = profit. tiktok, youtube, even your student portal — everything’s designed to keep you scrolling, spending, or stressing. time is a resource. start protecting it like your money.

but what does that actually mean?

it means that you’re not the customer on most apps — you’re the product. companies profit by selling your attention and data to advertisers. algorithms are designed to hijack your brain’s reward system—likes, follows, autoplay, endless scroll. none of that is an accident.

recently, the ftc hosted a 2025 workshop called “the attention economy: how big tech firms exploit kids and hurt families,” highlighting how platforms intentionally hook users.

studies show that 1 in 5 teens spends over 2 hours daily on tiktok—over recommended limits—and higher usage is linked to anxiety and lower self-esteem.

researchers also warn that algorithmic amplification (like tiktok’s for-you feed) fuels compulsive use by reinforcing targeted content deep into feeds.

here’s how to take your attention back and why it matters:

1. delete one app every weekend. just for two days. a brief digital detox, like removing social media apps over a weekend, can reduce stress and improve focus.

2. if you wouldn’t pay to see it, don’t give it your full attention. time is a resource—if content wouldn’t earn your money, don’t give your attention. treat it like currency.

3. make your phone boring. moving apps off your home screen and switching your phone to grayscale can reduce its addictive pull .

4. start “micro budgeting” your attention. time-blocking your screen use—like budgeting money—improves control and awareness over where your time goes .

5. set one hour a week as “no input” time. intentionally unplugged time helps spark creativity and mental clarity.

6. stop doomscrolling as “being informed.” reading endless crisis content at night increases anxiety—limiting you to scheduled, credible news consumption is healthier.

7. pay attention to what content energizes or drains you. teens who develop awareness of what content affects their mental health can proactively curate their online feeds.

your attention is your mental energy, your focus, your time. tech companies spend billions trying to hijack it. you don’t have to quit the internet — but you should treat your attention like money. once you give it away, you can’t get it back.

and your future, your mind, and your goals deserve better. sources:

federal trade commission. the attention economy: how big tech firms exploit children and hurt families. workshop, federal trade commission, 4 june 2025, ftc.gov/news-events/events/2025/06/attention-economy-tech-firms-exploit-children. accessed 25 june 2025.

bilali, angeliki, et al. “association between tiktok use and anxiety, depression, and sleepiness among adolescents: a cross‑sectional study in greece.” pediatric reports, vol. 17, no. 2, 2025, p. 34, doi:10.3390/pediatric17020034.

“teens, social media and mental health.” pew research center, 22 apr. 2025, pewresearch.org/internet/2025/04/22/teens-social-media-and-mental-health/. accessed 25 june 2025.

foo, bart. “can’t stop scrolling! adolescents’ patterns of tiktok use and digital well‑being.” humanities and social sciences communications, 2024, nature.com/articles/s41599-024-03984-5. accessed 25 june 2025.