#Become WordPress Developer | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tinystepsforward · 9 months ago

Text

autocrattic (more matt shenanigans, not tumblr this time)

I am almost definitely not the right person for this writeup, but I'm closer than most people on here, so here goes! This is all open-source tech drama, and I take my time laying out the context, but the short version is: Matt tried to extort another company, who immediately posted receipts, and now he's refusing to log off again. The long version is... long.

If you don't need software context, scroll down/find the "ok tony that's enough. tell me what's actually happening" heading, or just go read the pink sections. Or look at this PDF.

the background

So. Matt's original Good Idea was starting WordPress with fellow developer Mike Little in 2003, which is free and open-source software (FOSS) that was originally just for blogging, but now powers lots of websites that do other things. In particular, Automattic acquired WooCommerce a long time ago, which is free online store software you can run on WordPress.

FOSS is... interesting. It's a world that ultimately is powered by people who believe deeply that information and resources should be free, but often have massive blind spots (for example, Wikipedia's consistently had issues with bias, since no amount of "anyone can edit" will overcome systemic bias in terms of who has time to edit or is not going to be driven away by the existing contributor culture). As with anything else that people spend thousands of hours doing online, there's drama. As with anything else that's technically free but can be monetized, there are:

Heaps of companies and solo developers who profit off WordPress themes, plugins, hosting, and other services;

Conflicts between volunteer contributors and for-profit contributors;

Annoying founders who get way too much credit for everything the project has become.

the WordPress ecosystem

A project as heavily used as WordPress (some double-digit percentage of the Internet uses WP. I refuse to believe it's the 43% that Matt claims it is, but it's a pretty large chunk) can't survive just on the spare hours of volunteers, especially in an increasingly monetised world where its users demand functional software, are less and less tech or FOSS literate, and its contributors have no fucking time to build things for that userbase.

Matt runs Automattic, which is a privately-traded, for-profit company. The free software is run by the WordPress Foundation, which is technically completely separate (wordpress.org). The main products Automattic offers are WordPress-related: WordPress.com, a host which was designed to be beginner-friendly; Jetpack, a suite of plugins which extend WordPress in a whole bunch of ways that may or may not make sense as one big product; WooCommerce, which I've already mentioned. There's also WordPress VIP, which is the fancy bespoke five-digit-plus option for enterprise customers. And there's Tumblr, if Matt ever succeeds in putting it on WordPress. (Every Tumblr or WordPress dev I know thinks that's fucking ridiculous and impossible. Automattic's hiring for it anyway.)

Automattic devotes a chunk of its employees toward developing Core, which is what people in the WordPress space call WordPress.org, the free software. This is part of an initiative called Five for the Future — 5% of your company's profits off WordPress should go back into making the project better. Many other companies don't do this.

There are lots of other companies in the space. GoDaddy, for example, barely gives back in any way (and also sucks). WP Engine is the company this drama is about. They don't really contribute to Core. They offer relatively expensive WordPress hosting, as well as providing a series of other WordPress-related products like LocalWP (local site development software), Advanced Custom Fields (the easiest way to set up advanced taxonomies and other fields when making new types of posts. If you don't know what this means don't worry about it), etc.

Anyway. Lots of strong personalities. Lots of for-profit companies. Lots of them getting invested in, or bought by, private equity firms.

Matt being Matt, tech being tech

As was said repeatedly when Matt was flipping out about Tumblr, all of the stuff happening at Automattic is pretty normal tech company behaviour. Shit gets worse. People get less for their money. WordPress.com used to be a really good place for people starting out with a website who didn't need "real" WordPress — for $48 a year on the Personal plan, you had really limited features (no plugins or other customisable extensions), but you had a simple website with good SEO that was pretty secure, relatively easy to use, and 24-hour access to Happiness Engineers (HEs for short. Bad job title. This was my job) who could walk you through everything no matter how bad at tech you were. Then Personal plan users got moved from chat to emails only. Emails started being responded to by contractors who didn't know as much as HEs did and certainly didn't get paid half as well. Then came AI, and the mandate for HEs to try to upsell everyone things they didn't necessarily need. (This is the point at which I quit.)

But as was said then as well, most tech CEOs don't publicly get into this kind of shitfight with their users. They're horrid tyrants, but they don't do it this publicly.

ok tony that's enough. tell me what's actually happening

WordCamp US, one of the biggest WordPress industry events of the year, is the backdrop for all this. It just finished.

There are.... a lot of posts by Matt across multiple platforms because, as always, he can't log off. But here's the broad strokes.

Sep 17

Matt publishes a wanky blog post about companies that profit off open source without giving back. It targets a specific company, WP Engine.

Compare the Five For the Future pages from Automattic and WP Engine, two companies that are roughly the same size with revenue in the ballpark of half a billion. These pledges are just a proxy and aren’t perfectly accurate, but as I write this, Automattic has 3,786 hours per week (not even counting me!), and WP Engine has 47 hours. WP Engine has good people, some of whom are listed on that page, but the company is controlled by Silver Lake, a private equity firm with $102 billion in assets under management. Silver Lake doesn’t give a dang about your Open Source ideals. It just wants a return on capital. So it’s at this point that I ask everyone in the WordPress community to vote with your wallet. Who are you giving your money to? Someone who’s going to nourish the ecosystem, or someone who’s going to frack every bit of value out of it until it withers?

(It's worth noting here that Automattic is funded in part by BlackRock, who Wikipedia calls "the world's largest asset manager".)

Sep 20 (WCUS final day)

WP Engine puts out a blog post detailing their contributions to WordPress.

Matt devotes his keynote/closing speech to slamming WP Engine.

He also implies people inside WP Engine are sending him information.

For the people sending me stuff from inside companies, please do not do it on your work device. Use a personal phone, Signal with disappearing messages, etc. I have a bunch of journalists happy to connect you with as well. #wcus — Twitter I know private equity and investors can be brutal (read the book Barbarians at the Gate). Please let me know if any employee faces firing or retaliation for speaking up about their company's participation (or lack thereof) in WordPress. We'll make sure it's a big public deal and that you get support. — Tumblr

Matt also puts out an offer live at WordCamp US:

“If anyone of you gets in trouble for speaking up in favor of WordPress and/or open source, reach out to me. I’ll do my best to help you find a new job.” — source tweet, RTed by Matt

He also puts up a poll asking the community if WP Engine should be allowed back at WordCamps.

Sep 21

Matt writes a blog post on the WordPress.org blog (the official project blog!): WP Engine is not WordPress.

He opens this blog post by claiming his mom was confused and thought WP Engine was official.

The blog post goes on about how WP Engine disabled post revisions (which is a pretty normal thing to do when you need to free up some resources), therefore being not "real" WordPress. (As I said earlier, WordPress.com disables most features for Personal and Premium plans. Or whatever those plans are called, they've been renamed like 12 times in the last few years. But that's a different complaint.)

Sep 22: More bullshit on Twitter. Matt makes a Reddit post on r/Wordpress about WP Engine that promptly gets deleted. Writeups start to come out:

Search Engine Journal: WordPress Co-Founder Mullenweg Sparks Backlash

TechCrunch: Matt Mullenweg calls WP Engine a ‘cancer to WordPress’ and urges community to switch providers

Sep 23 onward

Okay, time zones mean I can't effectively sequence the rest of this.

Matt defends himself on Reddit, casually mentioning that WP Engine is now suing him.

Also here's a decent writeup from someone involved with the community that may be of interest.

WP Engine drops the full PDF of their cease and desist, which includes screenshots of Matt apparently threatening them via text.

Twitter link | Direct PDF link

This PDF includes some truly fucked texts where Matt appears to be trying to get WP Engine to pay him money unless they want him to tell his audience at WCUS that they're evil.

Matt, after saying he's been sued and can't talk about it, hosts a Twitter Space and talks about it for a couple hours.

He also continues to post on Reddit, Twitter, and on the Core contributor Slack.

Here's a comment where he says WP Engine could have avoided this by paying Automattic 8% of their revenue.

Another, 20 hours ago, where he says he's being downvoted by "trolls, probably WPE employees"

At some point, Matt updates the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. I am 90% sure this was him — it's not legalese and makes no fucking sense to single out WP Engine.

Old text: The abbreviation “WP” is not covered by the WordPress trademarks and you are free to use it in any way you see fit. New text: The abbreviation “WP” is not covered by the WordPress trademarks, but please don’t use it in a way that confuses people. For example, many people think WP Engine is “WordPress Engine” and officially associated with WordPress, which it’s not. They have never once even donated to the WordPress Foundation, despite making billions of revenue on top of WordPress.

Sep 25: Automattic puts up their own legal response.

anyway this fucking sucks

This is bigger than anything Matt's done before. I'm so worried about my friends who're still there. The internal ramifications have... been not great so far, including that Matt's naturally being extra gung-ho about "you're either for me or against me and if you're against me then don't bother working your two weeks".

Despite everything, I like WordPress. (If you dig into this, you'll see plenty of people commenting about blocks or Gutenberg or React other things they hate. Unlike many of the old FOSSheads, I actually also think Gutenberg/the block editor was a good idea, even if it was poorly implemented.)

I think that the original mission — to make it so anyone can spin up a website that's easy enough to use and blog with — is a good thing. I think, despite all the ways being part of FOSS communities since my early teens has led to all kinds of racist, homophobic and sexual harm for me and for many other people, that free and open-source software is important.

So many people were already burning out of the project. Matt has been doing this for so long that those with long memories can recite all the ways he's wrecked shit back a decade or more. Most of us are exhausted and need to make money to live. The world is worse than it ever was.

Social media sucks worse and worse, and this was a world in which people missed old webrings, old blogs, RSS readers, the world where you curated your own whimsical, unpaid corner of the Internet. I started actually actively using my own WordPress blog this year, and I've really enjoyed it.

And people don't want to deal with any of this.

The thing is, Matt's right about one thing: capital is ruining free open-source software. What he's wrong about is everything else: the idea that WordPress.com isn't enshittifying (or confusing) at a much higher rate than WP Engine, the idea that WP Engine or Silver Lake are the only big players in the field, the notion that he's part of the solution and not part of the problem.

But he's started a battle where there are no winners but the lawyers who get paid to duke it out, and all the volunteers who've survived this long in an ecosystem increasingly dominated by big money are giving up and leaving.

Anyway if you got this far, consider donating to someone on gazafunds.com. It'll take much less time than reading this did.

#tony muses #tumblr meta #again just bc that's my tag for all this #automattic #wordpress #this is probably really incoherent i apologise lmao #i may edit it

750 notes · View notes

roach-works · 4 months ago

Note

Why did wheat become a widespread staple crop given that it's difficult to harvest/transport/etc? This is not meant to be snarky or combative in any way, it's a genuine question. Are there any books you'd recommend for learning more about this kind of economic and technological history? Thanks.

sorry, i've long since forgotten all the actual books i've read about it, but i will always recommend This Guy:

also as very much a non-expert, my semi-informed opinion on Wheat is that growing complicated and difficult compared to going to the grocery store, and doesn't stack up very well to living in a food forest like north and south americans managed, either.

however, wheat is a grass, and grass grows in a lot of places that people also like to live in, and so wheat farming isn't as crazy a venture as it might otherwise seem.

in a lot of climates, it's possible to plant the grass, harvest the grass seeds, and store the seeds long enough to get you through the part of the year where there's nothing much to eat. if you manage your social and material technology right, you can store a lot of the seeds, and you can even transport them around before they rot, meaning you can now export the seeds from places where grass grows into places where it doesn't. the stalks of the grass that you can't eat provides food for the animals you need to help you grow the grass. and transport the seeds, too.

the social structure required to grow wheat in bulk (a steep and violent hierarchy) does three things: feeds everyone in it with enough extra that the guys on the bottom of the organization can survive to grow more wheat next year, and allows the guys on the top can sequester the rest as profit, consolidating their power. the third thing is that as land is converted to wheat fields, it stops yielding any other food but wheat, which locks people into the system for good. once a people depend on a staple cereal grain for their main source of calories, there isn't an easy way back: forests are chewed away for more wheat fields and those woodlands that remain are shifted towards hardwoods for agricultural tools, rather than food forests with fruit/nuts/shrubs, and even those maintained as game preserves still can't support the needs of entire villages.

in arid and semi-arid conditions, it's even harder to step away from dependence on grain farming because there the agricultural development is along rivers where the land can be irrigated, and the population of people supported by grain production is extremely concentrated into those small areas rather than spread across the entire biome.

in the northern parts of eurasia where grain couldn't be produced at scale because it was too rocky and too cold, people mostly went fishing, and when they grew stuff it was hardy root crops like beets and turnips.

DISCLAIMER: this is all very approximate. but now you know as much as i know.

P.S actually here's the last thing about wheat: it probably all started as a way to reliably source and produce beer, which was invented a long time before bread. bread was invented from wheat when the guys who were producing the beer seeds wanted to start exporting beer seeds to people who wanted beer far away, so they baked the seeds into tablets you could easily transport and then ferment with water once you got to your destination. eventually the traders who were transporting the beer kits started eating them, too, and crackers as a snack food really took off. look up the wikipedia article on beer if you don't believe me.

#wheat #agriculture #you want kings? that's how you get kings #you start out just wanting to source some beer reliably #then you fucking get kings #what a racket

249 notes · View notes

fujoshimenacecw · 1 year ago

Text

A conversation between Moto Hagio, Hideaki Anno, and Shimako Sato

In our first ever translation work we share a riveting conversation between Moto Hagio, Hideaki Anno, and Shimako Sato! Read on our wordpress or keep reading on tumblr under the readmore

For the 189th issue of the Magazine House publication Hato yo! published January 1st 2000, movie director and screenwriter Shimako Sato leads a three way conversation between herself and her acquaintances, the anime and live action movie director Hideaki Anno, and manga artist Moto Hagio. Together they discuss their respective admiration for each other’s work, Anno’s past statements on otaku, their takes on parent-child relations, how to escape puberty, and why Anno finds it scary to be around children.

To Me, There is 5 Ways To End a Story

Hagio: I got really into Neon Genesis Evangelion after it finished airing (laughter). I had been told by an acquaintance that Eva was a work that had “fans who were looking forward to watching the series so enraged by the developments in the final episode that they broke their TVs” (laughter). I wondered what could a work that evokes such strong emotions be like? I was really interested, so I borrowed the VHS tapes from a friend of Shimako-san’s, then I started watching.

Anno: I’m a big fan of Hagio-san’s manga, so when Shimako-san first said she could introduce us and arrange this meeting I was truly happy. The fact that you took an interest in Eva is an honor but… When I first heard “to me, there are five ways to end a story” I thought “as expected; amazing!” So after several twists and turns I finally reached a conclusion

Sato: Anno-san, when did you first encounter Hagio-san’s work?

Anno: The first one I read was They Were 11! during its serialization. In elementary school I read it at the Ear-Nose-Throat Doctor. I generally read manga at the waiting room there or at the barbers, since I didn’t really get any manga to read at home. When I read They Were 11! back then I was blown away. After that I read Hyaku Oku no Hiru to Senoku no Yoru [trans: Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights, original story by Ryu Mitsuse]. My favorite work is Half-god [Hanshin]. The fact that such a meaningful story could be told in only 16 pages is amazing. I think Hagio-san is a genius storyteller, but her art is amazing as well. In middle school I thought that if I copied Hagio-san’s art I’d become better at drawing.

Sato: If you had also imitated her storytelling would that perhaps have changed Eva’s final episode? (laughter)

Saving the world, love and hatred

Anno: You know, I don’t have much interest in concluding a story.

Sato: Do you hate wrapping a furoshiki? [trans note: a traditional wrapping cloth]

Anno: No, it’s that I think you can do more with a furoshiki than tie it up pretty. Like break it or tear it to shreds, all kinds of things.

Sato: If we include all that, isn’t that still doing the act of wrapping?

Hagio: In your case Anno-san, I find your way of grasping the world unique.

Sato: For both Anno-san and Hagio-san, even with the differences between manga and anime you’re making a serialized work, right. When you make a long-form work, is the ending something that is already decided? Or is it something that changes?

Anno: For me it’s something like a live performance, and ends up gradually changing as I create the work.

Hagio: I’m a bit too careful, so I can’t draw if I haven’t thought of the ending. An exception is when I made Star Red. Otherworld Barbara which I made later also ended up becoming an exception

Anno: Star Red’s ending was magnificent. I was also influenced by Star Red. Actually, I’ve written some dialogue similar to the one in Star Red’s ending

Sato: Which of the characters do you like?

Anno: Well, the protagonist.

Sato: I like Elg. At first I thought he was a rather unreliable person, but he gradually came to play an active role. By the end he revived a dead planet through love.

Hagio: I also like characters like that!

Sato: When I watch Anno’s works like Eva I feel like you are more the kind of person who saves the world through hatred, what do you think?

Anno: I don’t know

Hagio: That feeling of uncertainty becomes the foundation of your storytelling doesn’t it? I come to think that that feeling is something so overflowing you can’t tie it all together.

Sato: It seems you have some differences when it comes to making a story, but I think one thing your stories have in common is perhaps parent-child relations?

Anno: That is true, Hagio-san. Your relationship with your mother appears in your work…

Hagio: When I was a child, my older sister was my mother’s favorite, I was always compared to her. It seemed my mother thought that compared to my sister I was unreliable so she always worried about me, even when I was into my thirties she’d tell me to quit making manga.

Sato: And that was during The Poe Clan’s heyday wasn’t it?

Hagio: (laughter) When I was watching Eva, something that really caught my attention was Shinji-kun worrying about whether or not he was useful to his father. Yet there was a distance between them. During that time I was very interested in, to put it into words, “broken relations.”

Otaku Are Generally Uncool

Sato: Anno-san, in your work I think father-son relations is something that makes an appearance. Are there any real experiences behind that?

Anno: My family was normal. If I have a complex it would be that we were a poor family rather than a just normal one, and my father has only one leg. Regardless, I think stories about parents are the simplest to make, it’s easy.

Sato: So since Eva is a parent-child story it ended up like that?

Anno: What makes it easy is that we have some preconceived assumptions about [parent-child relations], “have you argued with your parents?” and such.

Sato: What appears in your work isn’t those things, but your own internalized problems don’t you think.

Anno: That appears to be it. As for my family we truly were the archetypical lower middle class household. My father was a good person. A sensible man. When you’re under circumstances like my father was you have to live sensibly or else you’re excluded.

Sato: So in opposition to that, you became an otaku.

Anno: That might be it. Your most important model for what normalcy is is your family. But I have a younger sister and she is exceedingly normal. She doesn’t read manga, there is nothing twisted about her at all.

Sato: And by twisted you mean?

Anno: That she’s not an otaku.

Sato: Anno-san, you’ve said that you hate otaku, haven’t you.

Anno: It’s not hate. It’s just that I think otaku are uncool. To otherwise not notice that you’re uncool or purposefully suppressing that fact makes me feel disgusted.

Sato: What about The Matrix? Isn’t that a cool otaku movie?

Anno: That one is also uncool.

Hagio: Even though Keanu Reeves is cool.

Anno: Keanu is cool. Because he is not an otaku. The otaku are the Wachowskis. They can’t get out of the confinements of their otaku-ism. So for example, even if they make something cool, part of it will for certain be otaku-like Even though I say this I don’t hate it. If I truly did I’d quit being an otaku.

Sato: Hagio-san, would you say your family was normal or was it perhaps affluent?

Joh (Hagio’s manager): Hagio-san and her mother actually have a similar biorhythm. It was perhaps due to that fact that Hagio rebelled by pursuing the path of becoming a manga artist.

Hagio: I might have been running away by drawing. But, if I had rebelled by becoming a delinquent I think it perhaps might’ve been more enriching to me as a person.

Anno: To become a creator is not something I think is a happy path to go down. In order to not be unhappy you have to work for dear life. At the very least create works as if you’re going back to zero [from the negatives].

Hagio: Is it a negative? Because you are an otaku?

Anno: Being an otaku is a huge negative. You make up for it either by relying on others or by producing creative works. With that said, I think my generation has it easier than yours, Hagio-san. This is an era where even old men read manga. My parents even now have no issues with my line of work. I appear in Asahi Shimbun, I appear on NHK, they have nothing to worry about. That is also why I will try not to ever refuse any coverage from my hometown newspapers.

Hagio: But don’t you think parents don’t truly understand? Even if I become famous, my parents will say; can’t you quit drawing manga? And just appear in the newspaper? (laughter)

Sato: But if you quit drawing manga you won’t appear in the newspaper. (laughter)

Hagio: In that context, a part of me still expects too much affirmation from my parents. Not externally but internally. Even if I appear in Asahi Shimbun I still end up thinking it’s not good enough.

Sato: The fact that you still worry so much about what your parents think at your age Hagio-san, it’s so strange.

Hagio: Yes, I think so too

Anno: Could it be that you have to become a parent to change that part of you that worries so much about what your parents think?

Sato: I don’t worry at all about what my parents think.

Anno: I also don’t care even a little bit. As far as I’m concerned, I’m bored if I get my parents’ approval. When I did Nadia: The Secret Of Blue Water for NHK I felt that feeling.

Sato: Do you have a replacement parent figure?

Anno: Well, a man without imaginary enemies is no good. For me right now, I think I want to make works that have Hayao Miyazaki beat.

Sato: Hagio-san, your worries might also be what gives birth to your works.

Hagio: That might be the case.

Sato: Anno-san, earlier, you said “you have to become a parent to change.” I personally don’t think if you don’t have children you can’t become an adult. I think that being an adult is being independent in everything you do. That’s why I think marriage or having children doesn’t change anything.

Anno: You can become a parent without being an adult. At 17 or 18 you could become a parent. To become a parent without even being an adult, that is the problem I think.

Sato: Do you consider yourself to be an adult, Anno-san?

Anno: I guess I’m a child.

Sato: I don’t consider my parents to be adults.

Hagio: I’m very discontent with the fact that my parents aren’t adults.

Anno: I’m not discontent.

Sato: For me realizing that my parents aren’t absolute adults was a relief during my middle school years. Until then I had played the role of an exemplary student, but when I realized that fact I stopped playing that role.

Hagio: So you’re a child who didn’t fit into your parents’ expectations. I was also a child who didn’t fit into my parents’ expectations, but the fact that they didn’t shrug their shoulders and say “that’s fine,” filled me with anxiety. I thought that if I become an adult I’d lose that anxiety. But I want recognition from people. I continue to request affirmation.

Sato: Anno-san, in Eva you portrayed children like this, but are you like this yourself?

Anno: The affirmation? Hmmm. That kind of thing changes with the project.

Hagio & Sato: ?

Anno: I don’t believe in the supremacy of the director of a work, but rather the work itself. What would be best for the work, I only base my judgment on the total. Although I won’t hand over the executive decisions.

Hagio: Manga is a one-man job, but with a movie there’s the director, the scriptwriter, the actors, etc. Each of them sees themselves as a leading part. Furthermore as living beings the things we do will sometimes diverge from the plan we made in our heads. The fun of living is discovering what those differences will be.

Is Eva The Rite of Passage That Will Get Us Through Puberty?

Sato: The movie Love & Pop that you directed Anno-san, the original creator Ryuu Murakami-san and yourself are both men, yet the story is about high school girls. I found that interesting.

Hagio: I thought that both of you wanted to be very similar to an archetypical girl. You said you wanted to see a part of puberty, and girlhood that you couldn’t control. After all, men aren’t just made up of boys. I believe that femininity and masculinity is something we have combined within us. Sort of androgynous.

Sato: The boys you create not having that vivid true-to-life quality to them I think is a representation of that. Anno-san, as a man, what do you think of the boys in Hagio-san’s manga?

Anno: I could see myself in them. I think what I like the most is that all the characters are smart. Because they have such a high intelligence it feels good to read.

Hagio: Like a washing machine right at the peak of its cycle, I want to leave my characters on the verge of that kind of critical point [of merger]. To be honest, the idea that once you’re past 30 you’ve become an old lady, that sense is something we’ve left behind.

Sato: I’ve found that when men become old they lose their ability to be nihilistic in their work, is it the same as that?

Anno: In the case of men, as you age, the world view [of your fiction] rather than your characters come to reflect your nihilism. You don’t aspire to be nihilistic, you yourself are becoming nihilistic. Your world view is what gradually utilizes nihilism. Isao Takahata, for example, is a nihilistic person. Nothing is born from being nihilistic. As nihilism is Plus-Minus-Zero, eventually your heart can’t be moved.

Hagio: A world that doesn’t change, isn’t that comfortable?

Sato: Even though in order to grow you have to fight. By asking like this, Anno-san, did you not experience puberty?

Anno: That might be it.

Hagio: I thought you were right in the middle of puberty.

Anno: I thought I’m losing it, but it might be puberty. Generally speaking, otaku don’t go through puberty.

Hagio: I thought otaku went through a prolonged chronic puberty.

Anno: It’s not what society ordinarily calls puberty.

Hagio: A never ending puberty, in this age, could it perhaps be because there are no more rites of passage?

Anno: Sure enough, you have to bungee jump. (laughter)

Hagio: A ritual to let your childhood die and then replay it, such a thing doesn’t exist now. Taking entrance exams may be the closest to [a rite of passage].

Sato: Don’t you feel like lately that around age 30 is when the coming of age ceremony actually happens?

Hagio: For that part, that’s when the stories takes on that role I think.

Sato: As a ritual?

Hagio: It’s not a ritual, but perhaps more intuitive? A trial run on a mock life. By that definition, I noticed Eva is just like that. I had an acquaintance who is a teacher from the Kyoto Steiner school. They saw the Eva movie in theaters. At that time they found the reactions of the people watching to be more interesting than the story. They had thought, isn’t it like we’ve all come to see the rite of passage which we all failed? I thought so as well “that’s right, that is interesting.” The rite of passage to become an adult after entering puberty, be it Gundam or Eva those stories put people in a position where they are observing the world, observing themselves, experiencing war and such.

Sato: Anno-san, were you considering all this…

Anno: I didn’t make it like that. But when I was making the movie I was thinking of this a little.

Hagio: When I watched Eva it ended up overlapping with the book Childhood [by Jan Myrdal]. It’s a book about a mother who can’t love her child. She thinks “I have to take care of this child”, but even so she can’t love him. I wonder what happens to children raised like this. Children learn from their parents. In truth there will be consequences for the parent, but the question on my mind was children who can’t find their place with the parent, where can they find their place instead? Although I thought you were such a person when you were making Eva, Anno-san. (laughter)

Sato: Speaking of, the other day you were on a TV show teaching grade schoolers about anime, Anno-san. What do you think of children?

Anno: I was scared of being in contact with children. I don’t understand the appropriate distance to take. I believe even the most casual thing an adult says mustn’t traumatize them, I end up becoming oversensitive. In grade school during still drawing class, I’d draw roof tiles and other detailed things, but humans moved around and I found it annoying, so I never drew people. Because of that my teacher said “this isn’t a child’s drawing,” which deeply hurt me. In the end, from that experience I think it was a part of the reason why I decided on working with drawing. Even though I opposed standardized education, I really felt the difficulty of dealing with not having a basic manual.

By the way, how much longer until Zankoku na Kami ga Shihai Suru [trans: A Cruel God Reigns] ends? I made a mistake. I wanted to read it all at once, right, so I refrained from buying it but… when volume 6 came out I ended up buying all of them.

Hagio: Oh yes, right. July next year I think.

Anno: Understood. Then the final collected volume will be out in the fall of next year. Hmm well that means I can enjoy it for another year. Understood.

Sato: Isn’t that great.

------------------------------

Translated by mod Juli, with assistance from two financially compensated native speakers.

Since the initial upload of this translation minor edits have been done to correct grammar and spelling mistakes. On March 1st 2025 an edit has been made on the following line: Anno: I think they have empathy. I think what I like the most is that all the characters are smart. Because they have such a high intelligence it feels good to read. It now says: Anno: I could see myself in them. I think what I like the most is that all the characters are smart. Because they have such a high intelligence it feels good to read.

A scan of the full interview raws has now been added to the wordpress version!

#translation #hideaki anno #moto hagio #shimako sato

360 notes · View notes

mysimsloveaffair · 1 year ago

Text

Figuring out the age of Sims in the Sims 4 is tough. Sims don’t have a set ‘birthday,’ and they age up based on life stages, making it hard for legacy players and storytellers to narrow down exactly what ‘age’ a sim is. Let’s face it: there’s a big difference between a child who is five years old and one who is twelve.

I’ve been a legacy/storyteller for years. Previously, I relied on the in-game ‘normal’ life span for my sims. However, I often felt rushed to get my sims married and have children. This was to avoid the problem of my elder sims dying off before meeting their grandchildren. This issue became even worse when the Discover University Expansion was introduced. If I want to send my sims to college, it takes up even more of their young adult years. Consequently, the marriage/child ‘rush’ becomes a bigger issue.

Eventually, I turned to the MC Command Center mod to solve this by creating my own age ranges, giving each life stage ample time to pursue their goals, develop as characters, and later find someone to spend their lives with. With some tweaking over the years, I came up with the life stage breakdowns you see above. I tried matching the number of sim days in each life stage with an ‘age’ that matches what we’re used to in the real world. I am sharing this because it might be helpful for anyone else who is struggling to ‘age’ their sims. And while it’s not perfect, it could be a good starting point, and I hope it helps!

A large/printable version of this graphic is available on my website here: My Sims 4 Lifespan**

**Link takes you to my WordPress website

Thanks to @storiesbyjes2g, as always, for her feedback!

#sims #sims 4 #TS4 gameplay #TS4 legacy #black simblr #brindleton bay #banks fam #bankgen4 #replies #diego2memphis #who is diego2memphis #tags

194 notes · View notes

brevoorthistoryofcomics · 11 months ago

Text

BHOC: SHOGUN WARRIORS #3

In the years to come, anime would become an important part of my life. Through anime fandom, I would meet some of my closest lifelong friends, and also develop the skills that allowed me to succeed during my internship at Marvel Comics. But in 1979, all of that lay ahead of me. I had no particular awareness of anime at the time (though I had obsessively watched GIGANTOR and SPEED RACER when I was…

View On WordPress

#Combattler V #Danguard Ace #Doug Moench #Herb Trimpe #Marvel #Mattel #Raideen #Shogun Warriors

26 notes · View notes

photomatt · 10 days ago

Text

Alfred-like Shortcuts in Spotlight

I’ve been testing the developer previews of all the new Apple 26 operating systems, which I don’t recommend this early in the cycle, but I like to live dangerously. I’ve quickly become accustomed to Liquid Glass. The iPad windowing enhancements do make it feel more like a real computer, but I usually run things in full-screen mode. My favorite thing to play with so far has been the new Spotlight…

View On WordPress

5 notes · View notes

dubaiwebsitedesignss · 16 days ago

Text

Which Is A Better Website Development Option – WordPress Or HTML/CSS/JS?

When you want a web design UAE, then you must know the best platform on which to base your website on. The choice becomes difficult when you know practically nothing, which means you are a novice here. Someone suggests WordPress website design and someone suggests HTML/CSS/JS and now you are totally confused.

But relax there will be no confusion once the air is cleared and you know the differences and pros and cons about the two. So gear up now for it.

What Is WordPress?

WordPress is just about one of the easiest ways to design a website on. It gives the users the benefit of creating, managing and modifying any website content from the post of an admin. It means there is easy access. It is created and designed so that it is very user-friendly. You need no knowledge of coding to get going on it.

This is the reason why more than 30% of all websites designed and hosted on the internet are done so using WordPress. But here you must take note that there are two types of WordPress website development. They are:

WordPress.org — It is an open source content management system wherein you can download the software to avail of the numerous themes and plugins that come free. If you are innovative and creative, then this is the one for you.

WordPress.com — This is a self-hosted edition of WordPress. It is very easy to use but you have to make do with some limitations. If you have no objections here, then you can go ahead with it.

The Pros Of WordPress

There are many pros here that could lead you to it. They are:

WordPress website development is one of the easiest and smoothest ways that you can begin with while web development Dubai. Here you need no technical knowledge or ideas. It is so convenient that a website can be designed in just 5 minutes which is very little and inexpensive at all. You can easily manage your daily routine tasks of maintaining your website. Here you can create, update pages and contents, customize the appearance and manage and improvise the SEO.

You can easily customize by adding various free plugins and themes that already exist. The plugins are very strong and numerous in number. There is a lot to choose from. You can increase the efficiency of your site by using the plugins.

It is continually evolving because of its open source nature. Any person can mend issues that are troubling it. Another liberty you get here is that you can make your own personal plugins. The website can be designed very quickly.

This may be one reason why some Web Development Dubai Companies, prefer to use WordPress.

What Is HTML/CSS/JS?

HTML is the shortened version of Hyper-Text Markup Language where tags are employed to classify various components on a website. And HTML is never used alone. It is used in a combination with CSS and JS or JavaScript. HTML gives the fundamental structure of the website and the enhancement is done by CSS and JS.

CSS gives an appealing look to the website and takes control of the layout of the content. It is formatted before showcasing to consumers.

JavaScript makes the website synergistic. It also controls the behavioural pattern of the content components when used by users.

But remember that HTML and CSS are programming languages, rather they speak about the structure of the content and gives information on its style. But JavaScript is a programming language that is based on logic.

The Pros Of HTML/CSS/JS

There are many pros associated with this way of developing a website which again is used as a way of Web Development in Dubai. They are:

HTML is a static site and thus requires very little backup. You only need a backup when you make certain changes to your site. You even do need many updates. So less time can be invested for these.

You are the commanding authority when using HTML. Access and modifications to your website are easier than WordPress in fact. So it becomes more flexible when you want to incorporate certain new features or extras ones.

Very few resources are tapped while using HTML. It easily runs on cheap servers, unlike WordPress.

How To Choose The Optimum Way Of Designing Websites?

Now that you know a little about both the methods and their pros, you are in a much better position to choose your own way of web development Dubai.

When you do not need to regularly update or change your site or add up additional content, then HTML/CSS/JS is the better option. But for the growth of a business website where regular alterations and additions are required, then WordPress is the choice.

WordPress has very little expenditure as it can be maintained by you without technical skills. So it is low on maintenance also. You can always keep on creating different content and extra pages whenever the need arises. So it all depends on what your purpose is and what method you want to apply while creating a website.

WordPress is very fast and more secure than HTML. And since no coding language is required by WordPress, it becomes a more preferred choice by millions of consumers who are always more comfortable with cheap and low maintenance products. This is one reason why Web Design in UAE is mostly being done by WordPress.

Conclusion

But again you must mind the limitations of both the methods of designing websites. WordPress is perfect for light and personal information sharing. But if you want a business website designed, then it is always advisable to use HTML/CSS/JS to get the job done properly. Then you also you should get in touch with professionals for the job.

#wordpress website #js website #html #html website #website deisgn #web design #custom website deisgn

2 notes · View notes

foodmato · 1 month ago

Text

The Future of Food Delivery Services: New Trends and Predictions

Ordering food online has become incredibly popular among millennials and Gen Z, all thanks to the easy availability of high-speed internet connections and smartphones. Consumers are getting their favorite food items from their preferred restaurants directly to their doorsteps with a few clicks. So if you are in the food industry or own a restaurant, you must be aware of the future of online delivery services to stay updated and make developments to your restaurant following the modern trends.

Find out what the future of food delivery services, the current popular food delivery trends, and what we can predict in this article. Before discovering the future scope of the food ordering system or delivery process, letlook closelylook at the current food delivery service statistics.

Food delivery services statistics

According to reports, the food delivery service market is expected to increase to $34.68 billion by the end of 2024, which clearly shows a steady rise in the growth curve.

There will be an estimated growth of 19.88% in food delivery services between 2024 to 2027. The market for food delivery services could even reach $71.63 billion by 2027.

According to the meal delivery market forecast, the number of users in this sector could reach 2.5BN by 2029.

What’s Next for Food Delivery Services? Key Trends and Future Predictions

The online food ordering market generates almost $27 billion every year. If you, too, want to be a part of this growth, you need to be aware of the following food delivery services trends and predictions for the future.

1. Restaurants launching their food delivery platforms

The recent trend in food delivery services of restaurants is witnessing a shift from the idea of relying on third-party meal delivery partners like Foodpanda, Uber Eats, to directly offering food delivery services of their own.

Consumers also prefer to place food orders directly from the restaurant instead of third-party websites. Well-known food brands like KFC, Pizza Hut, etc have also launched their own food ordering and delivery services, which let their customers order food directly from their restaurant website or mobile app.

Whether you have a big restaurant or a small one, you too can create your restaurant delivery system on your website and save a huge amount of money that you might be spending on third-party platforms. How? The answer is with FoodMato. It is a WordPress-based restaurant management solution that takes care of all your online restaurant management needs, including creating a food delivery system.

Discover the solution now!

2. Virtual assistants

Virtual assistants are getting increasingly popular in multiple industries, including restaurants. However, not a lot of restaurants have adopted this new technology yet, which means you still have a chance to take full advantage of this technology. This is surely going to be dominant in the future.

A virtual assistant is an AI system that accepts the voice commands of your customers and delivers them to your POS system. It not only saves your time but also helps customers place their online orders to your restaurant easily.

3. Green transport system

Using a green transport system is all about using environmentally friendly vehicles. Some restaurants rely on delivery teams that consist of teenagers who drive vehicles older than 10 years, which is harmful to the environment. To avoid this, it is predicted that most restaurants will rely on eco-friendly delivery systems by switching to bikes or electric cars for food delivery in the future.

4. Robotic Vans for delivery

Robotic vans or self-driving robots are redefining the concept of food, groceries, and package deliveries. These robots have made the local food delivery system easy and convenient for restaurant owners as well as customers. Though the usage has not become very popular yet but it has already been witnessed in a few college campuses of the USA for food delivery. More and more applications of these robot vans or self-driving robots are expected in the future in the food delivery market.

5. Increasing cloud kitchens

Cloud kitchens or ghost kitchens are the new type of restaurants that are based on commercial cooking spaces where foods are prepared only for delivery. They do not have a physical establishment to invite guests for meals as the entire system is based on online orders and delivery. As there is a rapid increase in the demand for online deliveries, the concept of ghost kitchens is anticipated to be more popular.

This allows restaurant owners to reach out to a wider audience without spending much on physical stores and other things that are required for a full-fledged restaurant.

Create your food delivery system with FoodMato

Having your food delivery system comes with multiple benefits that include:

No reliance on third parties.

Better exposure.

Cost saving, you don’t have to pay for third-party platforms.

Increase in profit.

Improves user experience.

Boost brand credibility.

If you want to experience all these advantages for your restaurant, use FoodMato’s complete online restaurant management solution that includes online food delivery services as well. Discover our services now!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the future of food delivery services?

The future of food delivery services globally appears to be very promising, with an expected growth of 281.52 billion by 2031.

How can I create my food delivery system?

You need the right software to create your food delivery system. Use FoodMato to add a WordPress-based online food delivery system to your website.

What is the cost of creating a food delivery system on my website?

The expense of creating a food delivery system usually depends on the software you use for this purpose. If you are looking for effective and affordable food delivery software, try FoodMato. It offers its complete online restaurant management solution, including food delivery for only $99.

#food delivery trends

2 notes · View notes

theglowsociety · 3 months ago

Text

10 notes · View notes

digitalgrowthbyte · 1 month ago

Text

Why Digital Marketing is a Game-Changer in 2025 — And How We Can Help

Let’s be real — if you’re not doing digital marketing in 2025, you’re pretty much invisible online. Whether you're running a local cafe, launching a new SaaS tool, or offering freelance services from your laptop, digital marketing has become the secret sauce to scaling your reach, engaging your audience, and driving actual results.

But wait — hasn't digital marketing been around for ages? Yep. But the way it works in 2025 is on a whole new level. And trust me, if you’re not paying attention now, you’ll be playing catch-up later.

So grab your chai or coffee ☕, because we’re diving deep into how digital marketing is changing the game this year — and how we at Digital Growth Byte by DR Digitalzest can help you crush it.

🚀 What Makes Digital Marketing So Powerful in 2025?

1. People Are Online More Than Ever

Let’s face it, we all live on our phones. From scrolling Instagram Reels to Googling the best pizza in town, your target audience is just a few taps away from discovering your brand — if you know how to reach them.

Stats don’t lie: Over 5.3 billion people use the internet globally, and digital ad spend in 2025 has skyrocketed. Why? Because online is where the money is.

2. AI and Automation Are Making It Smarter

Gone are the days of guessing what works. Now you’ve got AI tools that can:

Predict what your customers want

Personalize your website content in real-time

Automate emails, ads, and even SEO

In short? Digital marketing in 2025 is no longer just about effort — it's about smart effort.

3. SEO Is Still King (But It’s Smarter Now)

Google’s algorithm is savvier than ever. It rewards:

Helpful content

Fast-loading websites

Authentic backlinks

Great user experience (UX)

This means if your website looks shady, loads slowly, or offers zero value, you're basically ghosted by Google. On the flip side, if you’re investing in good SEO practices, you're winning — and we can help you with exactly that.

4. Content Marketing = Trust + Sales

People no longer trust direct ads alone. They want value. Blogs, YouTube videos, Insta carousels, case studies — these build trust and drive organic sales.

2025 content marketing is all about:

Telling stories

Solving problems

Creating relatability

Building authority

And guess what? You don’t need a fancy agency to get started — you just need the right roadmap.

5. Digital Ads Are More Affordable Than Traditional Marketing

Newspaper ads, TV spots, radio jingles — they cost a bomb and have limited targeting.

In contrast, a Facebook ad campaign with ₹500 can reach thousands of people who are already interested in what you offer. And that’s the magic of performance marketing in 2025.

😎 Real Talk: What This Means for Your Business

Whether you're a startup, coach, service provider, or a solo hustler — digital marketing can:

Put you on the map (literally)

Drive qualified traffic to your site

Generate leads that convert

Establish your online authority

Still not convinced?

👉 Here’s a detailed look at the core benefits of digital marketing in 2025 — backed by real stats and insights that prove why going digital is no longer optional, it's survival.

📌 How We Can Help You Win at Digital Marketing

At DR Digitalzest, we’re not just another digital agency with jargon-filled pitches. We’re real people, working with passion to help real businesses grow online using smart, ROI-driven digital strategies.

Here’s what we bring to the table:

✅ 1. Custom WordPress Website Development

Your website is your digital storefront. We make sure it looks great, loads fast, and converts visitors into leads.

We offer:

Clean, SEO-friendly designs

Mobile responsiveness

Lightning-fast speed optimization

Conversion-driven layout structures

✅ 2. SEO That Actually Works

We don't believe in shady keyword stuffing. Our SEO game is all about:

In-depth keyword research

On-page and technical optimization

High-authority backlink building

Local SEO for geo-targeted growth

Result? You get found by the people who matter.

✅ 3. Meta Ads & Social Media Marketing

We help you run high-converting Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram) that hit the right people at the right time — with retargeting, lead gen, and conversion tracking.

Plus, we handle:

Social media content calendars

Trend-based creatives

Audience engagement tactics

✅ 4. YouTube Growth & Video Marketing

If you're not on YouTube in 2025, you're missing massive traffic. We assist with:

YouTube SEO

Thumbnail + title optimization

Content strategy

Video promotion tactics

✅ 5. Data-Driven Strategy + Real Support

We're with you throughout the journey. Our clients don’t get cookie-cutter templates — they get personalized strategies, monthly performance reviews, and human support when they need it.

💬 Final Thoughts: 2025 Is the Year to Level Up

Digital marketing isn’t just a “nice to have” anymore. In 2025, it’s your digital lifeline — the bridge between where your business is and where you want it to be.

The tools are here. The audience is online. The opportunities are endless. All you need is the right guide to help you navigate it smartly, strategically, and profitably.

We’re here to help you do just that. Let’s take your brand where it deserves to be — on top.

🔗 Explore our full suite of services here: https://drdigitalzest.com/

#digital marketing #website #web development #wordpress #seo services

2 notes · View notes