#Data Rack Installation

[tgmsunmontue]

O is for Oceanographer (one shot)

3k Hangster - Teen/G* - While deployed at sea sometime in 2010 Jake finds a YouTube channel featuring a research oceanographer called Bradley Bradshaw. He likes how passionate Bradley is. Among other things. *I know - I'm shocked too

A is for Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)

                Jake stares out over the wide expanse of dark blue water, watches it swirl and eddy as the carrier cuts through it and wonders what makes whirlpools naturally occur in the ocean. He knows they do, because he's seen them several times. He remembers vaguely reading something in a book back in high school, or maybe a documentary. He finds the ocean pretty fascinating, and he respects it. Can't be in the Navy and not be aware of just how beautiful but treacherous it can be.

                Later, when he’s lying in is rack, killing time before he’s tired enough to fall asleep, headphones on to try and dampen some of the clanking racket that echoes around, he pulls up YouTube and types in a couple of words. A selection of videos appear but there’s one that catches his eye, and it’s definitely because the guy is kinda cute; grinning and squinting in the still, hand up to partially shade his eyes and he’s shirtless. Jake appreciates that too.

                Then the guy starts talking, and he has a nice voice, a Californian accent, he smiles easily and grins at the camera. He’s around Jake’s age and clearly passionate about the ocean, talking, rambling really, about anything and everything. Some of his explanations are so technical Jake doesn’t really understand what he’s saying, but decides he doesn’t need to understand to enjoy the sights and sounds that Bradley, that’s his name, is showing him. One video rolls to the next and Jake falls asleep to the sounds of Bradley talking away in his ear.

                “As always, feel free to drop me any questions you might have about the ocean and I’ll either answer them, or they could even be the topic of one of my future videos.”

B is for Bottom Pressure Recorder (BPR)

                It becomes part of his bedtime routine and he rewatches some of the videos over and over, downloads them onto his phone to save on the data costs. Months slip by and he starts to understand what exactly an ADCP is and does, and why it’s important to Bradley’s research. Which is all about the speed and direction of currents, with particular attention to nutrient movement for tracking food sources. Bradley is clearly busy, and life aboard a research vessel is clearly as disciplined as a Navy carrier.

                “Hi again, my name is Bradley Bradshaw and today we’re going to be installing a BPR, which is short for Bottom Pressure Recorder.”

                In the video Bradley is wearing a wetsuit, but it’s hanging around his waist and he’s smiling at whoever is holding the camera. Jake knows that the videos are day, if not weeks or months old, but it’s kind of nice to think about someone else sailing around on the ocean and doing something they consider just as exciting and important as what Jake thinks he does. Bradley is explaining what a Bottom Pressure Recorder does and how he’s lending a helping hand today for someone else’s research project and Jake adds it to the little list he’s formulated in his head, that he helps out his friends or colleagues. That he smiles easily and laughs. Is passionate.

                “Now a BPR measures the change in pressure within the water column at the bottom of the ocean. It can help us monitor tsunamis and tidal changes. But also it can help monitor movement beneath the crust.”

                “Magma baby!” someone calls out from offscreen and Bradley laughs, rolls his eyes but doesn’t stop grinning at the camera and Jake finds himself grinning back.

                “Yes, and magma. What I’m more excited about is this,” Bradley says, and he’s holding up a Styrofoam cup. “Now. This here is a Styrofoam cup. We’ve got a collection of them, and as you can see we’ve all been using our time very efficiently decorating them.” The camera jerks to the side to show a lot more cups, all highly and intricately doodled and decorated. “Now, we will be bringing those with us, at about thirty-three feet the weight of the water pressure starts applying accumulated weight, around fifteen pound per square inch –”

                “Fourteen-point-seven!”

                “Adam!”

                There’s laughter and Jake wonders if the pressure from deep diving is similar to pulling Gs. Bradley has continued talking, is pulling on the wetsuit and zipping it up and Jake bites his lip as he watches the other man’s muscles flex and shift. Yeah. He’s been alone at sea for a long while. Fortunately though Bradley releases two to three videos a week. Sometimes they’re twenty or thirty minutes long. And sometimes they’re only five minutes, with him answering a question or two that commenters have left and Jake wonders if he could ask about the comparison of diving pressure to Gs. He doesn’t bother though, he’ll go deep diving one day and learn for himself.

                “So, I’m out here with little to no social life, so feel free to drop me a comment and ask any burning questions you might have.”

C is for Cusp

                They have forty-eight hours of shore leave and he’s going to make the most of it. Once he shakes off his colleagues, who are all staring along the beach. Javy at least knows he’s wanting to go out and hook up, will let him make an easy exit. But he has time yet.

                “What do you think makes those crescent shapes?”

                Jake looks out at what they’re all looking at and huffs.

                “They’re called cusps.”

                “What?”

                “The formation along the beach like that. They’re called cusps,” Jake provides, because he knows that. Bradley had done a series of three videos about them, from the coarse pebble beaches the bigger cobbles and Jake is pretty sure he could talk about standing waves and sedimentation rates and longshore drift if he needed to, it’s one of his favorite videos.

                “You suddenly an expert on the ocean?”

                “No. Just more educated than you lot. And if I was an expert on cusps I’d be an expert in coastal geomorphology, not oceanography…”

                “Since when did you take an interest in the ocean?”

                “We’re in the Navy, seems stupid not to have at least a passing knowledge of it,” Jake says, and he’s practiced this in the mirror, looking blasé as he waves off his depth of knowledge. There are eyerolls, because of course there are. They think he’s an arrogant asshole, and he is, but it’s not the only part of him. He’s just not going to waste energy on people that don’t seem to bother learning more about him.

                Later that night, after he’s received a passable blowjob and given one in return he curls into his rack, not prepared to pay for a room on shore when he doesn’t have to. Plus he got a notification that Bradley post a new video and he always tries to watch new ones as soon as he can.

                “Bit of a shit day for me today. Won’t be a long video. Just… might delete this later anyway. It’s the anniversary of my mom’s death and I’m stuck out here on a boat away from everyone. Sometimes that’s nice. And sometimes it just makes me feel even more lonely than ever…”

                It’s the saddest Jake has ever seen him, and he knows Bradley likely puts on a happy face for the majority of his videos, seems like a generally happy person. This feels private. Open and vulnerable in a way that Jake hasn’t seen before and for the first time he feels like reaching out, maybe actually commenting, but he has no idea what to say even as Bradley rambles on about walking along the beach with his mom and eating ice-cream and watching the waves hit the sand. How the ocean makes him feel close to both his parents. Jake hadn’t realized that they were both dead and

                “As always, feel free to drop me any questions you might have about the ocean and I’ll either answer them, or they could even be the topic of one of my future videos.”

D is for Diving

                “So I got my diving certificate when I was doing my undergraduate study, then when I was doing my postdoc I became a PADI accredited instructor as a side hustle, so some of the others on the ship with me are building up their dive hours.”

                He’s been watching Bradley for over five years now, followed him onto Spotify where he sometimes appears in a friend’s podcast. Jake has a new appreciation for patterned shirts and moustaches but also tanned muscled skin and easy smiles. He’s well aware he has a crush on a complete stranger, even if Bradley doesn’t feel like a stranger. He knows when his birthday is, when his mom and dad both passed away. He also knows Bradley has deleted the short private video that Jake thinks only a handful of people saw.

                “I used to dream of flying, and I still like flying… but there’s something hidden and mysterious about the depths of the ocean which are just… a little bit more scary and unknown. We still don’t know everything about it, probably never will. And I find that far more interesting and compelling than flying these days.”

                He watches, listens to his voice with his eyes closed and then, because he sometimes has time to kill; reads the comments. Bradley replies to some of the more ridiculous comments stating very firmly that he won’t ever share his precise location, or anything about his current personal life. Jake doesn’t blame him. He’s gone from having a few hundred subscribers to having close to one million. Some people are weird.

                “Today we’re meeting up with an aircraft carrier today, can’t tell you the name for security reasons, but they’ve got a couple of researches on board who are joining us for the next leg of our journey.”

                Jake blinks, wonders when the hell that must have happened, because obviously they’re on the same ocean sometimes, but knowing he’d possibly been so close has him feeling oddly nervous, which isn’t like him at all.

                “As always, feel free to drop me any questions you might have about the ocean and I’ll either answer them, or they could even be the topic of one of my future videos.”

E is for Eutrophication

                “So some of you already might think you know what I do, but I also look at the release of excess nutrients, particularly as they move up and down the water column and then impact upon the ecosystems within the ocean. My original research was based around currents and tides, but as the ocean warms there’s more research funding in nutrient movement. Not that there’s much funding for that either, but I’ll still take it.”

                Jake has been watching Bradley for over eight years now. It’s weird, having watched him grow older along with him, his change in haircuts, the moustache coming and going a few times before it seems to have settled on staying in place. The shirtless look being replaced with sun top and sunscreen and hats covering his curls, sunglasses perched on his nose and he often wears aviators, sometimes garish button-down patterned shirts and Jake likes it. All of it.

                Bradley still shares deeply personal information sometimes, but it’s all long past. Things about his childhood, his parents, both of whom Jake knows have passed away. He doesn’t mention any current relationships, romantic or otherwise. Hell. The man could be married for all Jake knows. Could have kids. Although he suspects Bradley would be too proud of kids to not boast about them, given the way he talks about his graduate students.

                “Today we’re actually near shore, which means waves! Which means surfing! Now… I will be the first to admit I am not great at staying on my board, but when you catch the perfect wave and it’s just you, being pushed toward the shore by the force of the ocean behind you? Better than flying. And before you ask, or defend flying, know that I get to go flying plenty. As always, feel free to drop me any questions you might have about the ocean and I’ll either answer them, or they could even be the topic of one of my future videos.”

                Jake still hasn’t ever left a comment, but like with all the others before it he clicks the little thumbs up icon.

F is for Face to Face

                “Sorry I’m late pops,” Jake says with a grin, because it’s their little in-joke now. Also he knows he’s not late, simply the last one to arrive, but then again he’s always liked making an entrance.

                “You’re alright Hangman, come on in. I think everyone is here, but you probably planned it that way,” Maverick states, and Jake grins again, tips his invisible hat.

                “Well, you know most everyone already, Penny and Amelia obviously. And then this here is my godson, Bradley.”

                Jake’s mouth goes dry.

                Holy shit.

                Bradley Bradshaw.

                “Yep. That’s me…”

                Jake realizes he must have said the other man’s name out loud.

                “You know each other?” Maverick asks.

                “No. We’ve never met. I’d remember,” Bradley says, and he’s looking at Jake with one eyebrow slightly quirked, lip twitching in maybe amusement. He’s taller than Jake, and he hadn’t ever seriously thought about what Bradley might be like face-to-face. Jake can’t take his eyes off his moustache and he locks his jaw, doesn’t want to accidentally blurt out that he’s thought about it on his body. Fuck. The other Daggers are watching him and he hopes the smile he pastes on is at least halfway convincing.

                “Huh. Well. Hangman here is the reason I’m still around.”

                “Pretty sure that’s meant to be classified Mav…”

                “Well. He also threw me out of the Hard Deck only a couple of days after I ejected from another classified thing so… swings and roundabouts, right?”

                “He what? Did you?” Bradley asks, and he seems torn between worried about Mav’s previous ejection and delight at the idea of Jake tossing Maverick out.

                “I didn’t do it by myself!” Jake offers quickly in defense, and Maverick, the asshole, is laughing.

                “Can I get you something to drink Hangman?”

                “Yeah. Thanks. Whatever you’re having is fine…”

                “Hangman here is obsessed with the ocean, always dropping little facts into the conversation. You two can probably talk each other’s ears off…”

                Jake grimaces, because all the facts he knows about the ocean come directly from the man standing in front of him, although he’s not stopped looking at Jake with interest and he knows that kind of interest at least and he’s trying very hard to play it cool. He accepts the bottle of beer from Maverick, glad that it gives him something to do. Fortunately the Daggers were already mid-conversation of games of cornhole, and usually he’d muscle his way into competing but…

                “So…” Bradley starts, and he takes a slow sip of his drink and Jake watches his throat as he swallows, the movement of his lips and the way his tongue pokes out to the side as he looks at him. “You looked a little spooked to see me. Any particular reason for that? We haven’t hooked up and I ghosted you?”

                Jake shakes his head, and he guesses there’s his answer about whether Bradley would ever go out on a date with him. Maybe.

                “I’ve… watched your videos. On YouTube.”

                “Oh. Cool. Because you like the ocean huh? That why you joined the Navy?”

                Jake bites his lip, considers lying. He knows he can turn this around, make himself appear smooth and cocky… except he’s seen Bradley through some of his saddest moments, as well as some of his best. He’s aware enough to understand it doesn’t mean he knows him, but it also means he feels like he owes him the same level of openness and honesty.

                “I joined the Navy to fly. I liked the ocean fine, but… your videos have made me love it.”

                “Yeah?”

                “Yeah. Been watching you. For years actually.”

                “Oh… you ever comment?”

                “No. Came close a couple of times, but… no.”

                “Shame. We might have met earlier.”

                “And what would have happened then?”

                “Could have asked you out.”

                “You make a habit of asking out strangers on the internet?”

                “Nope,” Bradley says, and he looks like he’s holding back a laugh and Jake feels like a laugh is bubbling up inside him at the ridiculousness of the conversation. “Going to ask you out now though. If that’s something you’d be interested in.”

                “Definitely interested.”

                The smile Bradley gives him is slow and pleased.

                “Good to know. Put your number in?” Bradley asks, handing his phone over and Jake takes it, will pass his own over as soon as he has a free hand.

                “If you put yours in mine…”

                “Oh, I have every intention of doing just that…”

                Jake chokes as he processes the innuendo but then he’s laughing, handing Bradley’s phone back to him and fishing his own out of his pocket; as Bradley’s fingers brush over his Jake finds himself glad he stumbled across Bradley’s channel all those years ago, because he doesn’t know if this meeting would have gone as smoothly otherwise.

G is for Groom

                “As always, feel free to drop me any questions you might have about the ocean and I’ll either answer them, or they could even be the topic of one of my future videos.”

                Jake grins, because he’s still never left a comment even now, eighteen months after meeting Bradley in person for the first time and no doubt becoming his biggest fan. He just lets him know directly. But this? He wants everyone to know and see…

>>Ever thought of marrying a stranger on the internet?

[mariacallous]

A fire broke out Thursday morning at a data center in Hillsboro, Oregon, leased by Elon Musk’s X, forcing an extended response from emergency crews, according to multiple sources who spoke to WIRED. The sources required anonymity as they aren’t authorized to speak publicly about the company.

Firefighters arrived at the Hillsboro Technology Park, in a suburb west of Portland, at 10:21 am, according to Hillsboro Fire and Rescue spokesperson Piseth Pich. They found a room with batteries that were deemed to be involved in the fire. Pich noted that the fire had not spread to other parts of the building, but said the room in question was heavy with smoke. As of 3:00 pm, the crew was still on the scene.

X did not immediately respond to a request for comment from WIRED. It could not be learned whether server operations at the data center had been affected by the incident.

Before Elon Musk bought Twitter, the company had three data centers in Sacramento, Portland, and Atlanta. This ensured that if one data center went down, traffic could be shifted to the other two—and split so no single data center was overwhelmed.

Around Christmas Eve 2022, Musk shut down X’s data center in Sacramento in an effort to cut costs. The company experienced a major outage in the wake of the shutdown. Over the next six months, the company moved more than 2,573 server racks from the Sacramento facility to data centers in Portland and Atlanta, according to internal documents.

In the Portland area, X appears to lease space from a building that has been linked to Digital Realty, one of the world’s largest developers of data centers. Digital Realty provides varying levels of operating support at its sites, which can have one or more tenants. It’s unclear if X shares this facility with other companies.

Ryan Young, vice president of Americas operations for Digital Realty, said in a statement to WIRED on Thursday evening that the “fire-related incident at our PDX11 facility” had been contained and that the fire department had left. “All personnel were safely evacuated, with no reported injuries,” Young stated. “We continue to monitor the situation, prioritizing the safety of our personnel, the integrity of the facility, and minimizing customer impact.”

Young declined to comment on customers.Got a Tip?Are you a current or former X employee who wants to talk about what's happening? We'd like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporters securely on Signal at @kylie.01, @mollytaft.76, or @peard33.24.

Batteries often function as a backup power source at data centers. But lithium-ion varieties can be volatile, and issues with upkeep and inadequate safety measures have contributed to costly blazes at data centers around the world. Pich, the Hillsboro Fire Department spokesperson, says he could not recall any previous fire involving batteries in the Oregon region’s many other data centers.

X’s parent company, xAI, has taken criticism in recent months for its rapid expansion of power capacity at a new data center in Memphis, which opened last year. That facility, which Musk named Colossus, was built up at breakneck speed to train xAI’s Grok and other AI tools. The company installed more than 30 methane-powered gas turbines, but because the turbines are temporary, a federal permit for pollution control isn't required, which appears to exploit a loophole in the Clean Air Act. The facility has drawn widespread criticism from surrounding Black and brown communities, who are already exposed to a large amount of air pollution and industrial emissions from other facilities in the area.

[professional-yearner]

Can't Help Falling In Love With You 🤍

Pt. 1

Yandere! Cheater! Officer Clone trooper x Fem! Reader

Series TW!: cheating, mistresses, grief, murder, Evil-ish, being trapped, toxic relationships, forced relationship, obsessive love, obsession, general insanity, manipulation, disloyalty

A/N: I hope you guys like this first installment of my new-ish series! I do intend to finish it this time lol. I really hope you like it! :3

You sat in the dark, staring blankly at the messages. They were sweet, affectionate, and playful, with a deep sense of connection that made bile creep up your throat and your head light. You remembered when Steel used to message you like this, it seemed so distant now, but you could remember it almost vividly.

You hadn't realized you were crying until you had to sniff to keep mucus from dripping onto the data pad. It made sense why he had been so distant recently; staying out late on his leave instead of being with you, always on his data pad doing 'work', never really touching you anymore.

The name opposite his own messages seemed to be laughing at you, bold and victorious as it burned into your retinas;

Arah

Was that her name? It was pretty, like she must be. Was it just that, or was she funnier, smarter, more capable, more interesting? Maybe all of the above.

You cried out, pain racking through your entire body; you had thought he was your person. You thought he thought you were his person.

It had all come together when you met him, and now it had so rapidly fallen apart.

-

The morning following your discovery was bleak, but you had to keep it together, at least until he left again for the day.

It was a sisyphean task to hold back your tears without him noticing as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head before he went (something he hadn't done in a while), but you didn't think you could face him now, not until you got yourself together a bit.

You finally broke once he closed the door behind him, trying to take air between sobs as you did your best to move towards the bathroom.

Skincare didn't work, the tears and snot wouldn't stop long enough for any of your products to set.

Putting on a nice outfit didn't work either, you just found new ways to compare yourself to how pretty his new girl must be, making your crying all the more intense.

Finally, you found yourself in the kitchen, exhausted from a day that sped by you and stomach rumbling.

You had to climb the counter to get the ingredients that you needed, seeing as the it only reached your hip at the most.

Steel had insisted on you not "wasting your money" on a step-stool, going on about how he'd always be there to get things down for you. Remembering that made you grit your teeth, grief momentarily replaced with vitriol.

Karking liar.

Mixing and cleaning went by in a blur, you were so practiced by now it felt like a reflex. You looked down at what you were making.

It was both of your favorites; pancakes.

It was simple, basic even, but it had kind of been your thing. It seemed appropriate considering you had met in a diner.

You felt your eyes heat as you flipped the pancake.

You really thought he loved you.

You could remember the first time you had kissed, the first time you had felt so wanted and right with someone;

You giggled as he bumped your shoulder with his, the rough material of his uniform scuffing your bare arm lightly as he grinned down at you. The rain pattered on the two of you, your hair and his hat beginning to drip.

You paused your walking as you caught his eye, the look he was giving you catching you off guard; his brown-gold eyes shone more openly than you had ever seen them, soft affection following your every movement as his lips curved into a warm smile.

"What?" You smiled up at him, laughing lightly.

He stepped out in front of you, leaning down to push the hair away from your face and touching your nose with his,

"You're perfect, angel."

Your eyes widened as you took in the moment, a desire settling itself against your ribcage at his declaration. Stomach fluttering, you worked up every scrap of courage you had, finally leaning forward and closing the distance between the two of you, pressing your lips shyly to his.

He seemed to be in shock for a moment, making you pull back, only to give a small squeak of surprise as he shot out a hand to bring you back, capturing your lips gently, but passionately, against his once more.

You both stayed like that for a while, lips moving against each other in quiet tenderness before he pulled away slowly, rubbing your cheek with his calloused thumb,

He breathed softly, face only an inch from yours, "Sweet girl."

You bit back a silly grin, bringing your forehead to his and placing your hands at the sides of his face in a Keldabe kiss, one last show of your overwhelming adoration before pulling away.

"You want to come back to mine? I could make breakfast for dinner; your favorite."

He said nothing for a moment, looking at you as if you were the beginning and end of the galaxy, making you almost tear up before his face broke into a lopsided grin once more. He picked you up by your waist suddenly, causing you to squeal as he spun you around, laughing,

"Cyar’ika, you are the love of my life!"

You stared at the pan, watching the pastry grow black as you zoned out. The love of his life.

You sobbed, clutching the counter as the smell of burning pancake filled your nose.

Maker.

[metropolitanmutantofark]

things that will make me delete your mobile game (tag the game that checks all these boxes for you):

- 6+ ads after login (ads for the in game shop count)

- daily login bonus that resets to a pittance if you miss one day

- daily login bonus that ticks over at precisely 6:42 in the evening every day

- the game yells at you or tells you “the fictional entities miss you! ;(“ if my phone has been broken for two weeks so I can’t log in

- seasonal content that never comes back except in the “Premium (extremely expensive)” shop section

- pay money to buy coins to buy gems to buy things

- ONLY lets you buy things with money

- game runs so inefficiently that your iphone 14 burns your hand

- 40 game mechanics/tutorials for an app you will ONLY be opening during a car ride or waiting for class to start or what have you

- Snorpi Gritta, the Plunquette™ on the app icon, isn’t who you play as, but rather someone you COULD play as if you had $6000 to roll the gacha

- game walks you through how to play the game and use every single sub-menu even if you have 15 other apps of the same genre installed

- “this game wants to know your location, track data across other apps, serve you personalized ads, know your star sign, access your bank account, edit your last will and testament, name your firstborn, succeed your place as King of Flartania, be betrayed by the evil wizard Karklon, send you notifications…”

- the gacha/lootbox system is rigged so that you literally cannot get what you want too many times in a row

- having a gacha system in lieu of a shop you can spend those fictional coins you’ve been earning

- having a gacha system after I paid to download the app in the first place

- being genshin impact

- ads for your mobile game popping up in other apps when I already downloaded the thing (maybe the most minor complaint on this list but it bugs me)

- game sends me a notification to not miss out on a daily login streak

- you have to sign up with your phone number as if Snorpi Gritta herself is going to call you personally and tell you what a good boy you are for downloading her game or something

- every single character is extremely sexy (insert your favorite gacha game here)

- every single character is extremely un-sexy but always seem to be pulling a facial expression like they think they’re extremely sexy (subway surfers)

- game constantly updating for the most minor patches imaginable

- overly excessive customization with characters’ upgrades and gear to the point where there’s a separate wiki for the game’s lore and for the game’s meta

- “link a friend” or “join a team” systems as if I’ll ever tell anyone what games are on my phone

- your game is a pared-down version of a game I could be playing on the Switch, 3DS or Steam Deck right now

- your game is a pared-down version of a game I could be playing on the Switch, 3DS or Steam Deck right now and it serves 50 ads a minute when the original doesn’t

- charge mechanics that limit how much you can actually play, as if the game thinks “it’s not healthy to be on phone games all day!! :)” when I’m just really good at the game and am waiting for someone in the doctor’s office

- ^that but you can also PAY to keep playing the free mobile game and it’s prohibitively expensive

- Snorpi Gritta gets replaced on the app icon and now I have to look at Narmu Spartea who (despite her HUGE rack) I absolutely hate as a character since she’s taken over the meta

- your mobile game is just another match-3 or endless runner

- your mobile game is just another gacha game

- your mobile game is just another shooter with terrible controls

- the characters in your gacha have seasonal alts which I can’t purchase with in game currency and they won’t return until the “throwback gacha!!” which will only come around in 6 months when I will have forgotten all about the game

- you as the developer confirm that Snorpi Gritta is aro-ace which means that I, personally, have absolutely no chance with her, the fictional Plunquette on my iphone

- game asks your age before you start the game, which means you bet your bottom Gem they’ll be maliciously advertising things to you

- your mobile game is just Club Penguin with extra steps

- your game’s title is extremely unwieldy to say, only tangentially relates to the gameplay and/or has no discernible way to be shortened if someone asks what I’m playing (the “rooty tooty fresh and fruity” conundrum, EVERY gacha game falls under this without exception)

- online multiplayer that you have to engage with despite not playing the meta (Narmu Spertea can kiss my Assassin-Reverend Jennathy Larginhoffer I’m not putting that wretched busty harlot on my squad)

- your mobile game has spoilers so if I follow the “#⭐️Magic!!⭐️ Plunquettes™ of Harmenheim” tag on tumblr I’ll see EVERYTHING that happens in the final chapter as well as the ending of every seasonal side-story

- your game has crossover content with your other mobile game that literally no one ever is going to download (but you have to download it to access the best stuff in the game)

- your mobile game is a classic board game that I’ve already downloaded in the form of a classic board game collection

- your mobile game erases my account after 2 weeks without logging in like it’s a website from 2004

- I download the better version of the game on PC (rarely though Balatro comes around and does the opposite where I played the mobile game more, so kudos if your game does that)

- your game deletes my cloud save and all of my 140+ hours of progress if I change phones (Balatro… ;( )

- your game always logs me into Apple Game Center (the worst game service known to man) so someone at Apple ALWAYS knows that I play Plunquettes of Harmenheim

- your game sends me notifications because someone else is calling for aid in an Ultra Battle even though they are WELL AWARE I won’t be running Narmu and I still have Ningland van Grotteschuler on my team as a joke

- ^bonus points if that notification comes at 3AM (yes I’m awake but no I didn’t want the notification)

- my blorbo gets nerfed into the ground so the auto-optimizer never picks them for my squad, so I have to manually do it every time

- my mom starts playing the game (this isn’t your fault as a dev but our fault as a society)

- my favorite vtuber starts playing the game (this isn’t your fault as a game developer)

- my favorite vtuber starts playing the game badly and forces me to crash out in her chat (this isn’t your fault as a game developer)

- my favorite vtuber starts playing the game and puts that hag Narmu Spertea on her squad and forces me to yeet bees at her (this is your fault as a game developer)

- your game is an AI art visual novel

- your game is a brand-affiliated mobile game that makes the thing I like feel less like a thing I like and more like a brand

- your game preys upon FOMO even on a day-by-day basis with “flash sales”

- one of my tumblr mutuals doesn’t like the game and mentions any of the points on this list

- <insert infamous person on the internet> LOVES the game and makes me delete it out of fear of association in any capacity

- i downloaded your game 5 years ago and quickly deleted it, and when i install it today those memories come flooding back to me like it’s the Vietnam War

- you as a developer express an opinion I don’t like

- you removed a mechanic or a mini game that turned out to be the one thing keeping me playing

- your game is just Vampire Survivors

- your game is just Vampire Survivors, but it isn’t HoloCure

- the text in your really well polished mobile game has translation errors and/or typos, which renders certain scenes incomprehensible (but if those errors make it VERY unintentionally-funny, that won’t make me delete it)

- your game was big in 2011 because of the mobile game boom but is actually just a one-button game or playing with rocks

- your game is sex-bait but nobody has written fanfiction about the characters on ao3

- your game is sex-bait but the gameplay is subway surfers

- your game is sex-bait but the player character is the ugliest mf this side of Cleveland, Missouri

- your game is sex-bait and I get an advertisement for it on the mobile app for tumblr dot com

- your game is sex-bait and you introduce the “really 700 years old” trope

- your game is sex-bait and you introduce the inverse of the “really 700 years old” trope

- you buffed Narmu Spertea and left my darling Jennathy. To rot. In the dungeon for a thousand years

- your game is a free beta that has been a beta for 15 years

- your game has dating sim mechanics, but Assassin-Reverend Jennathy Larginhoffer simply WILL NOT date me because of her religious tenets and because it would put me at risk of being killed to get to her

- your game has dating sim mechanics, encourages polygamy, and the game judges you for it (even if you only try to woo Ms. Rev. Larginhoffer and your heart belongs to no one else)

- the dating sim mechanics in your game buff the characters, so you MUST engage with everyone on your team romantically in order to buff them, even if Ningland is the single least attractive unit in the game

- I find out your game has a huge memory leak

- I start playing the game, spend 4 minutes waiting for the game to load, and the battery goes from 76% to 14% in that time

- vanilla extract

[a-goat-writes]

Ingress

Priority Transmission - For Captain Menelaus’s Eyes      The uprising on Vega II has become too large a problem for the local government to handle. You are more aware than most how critical it is we retain control of the system. Send in your new dog and push them back. Mechanized force is authorized.

     Dahlia could barely contain her excitement upon receiving the captain’s summons. The Vega mission would be her first assignment since graduating the academy, and it came direct from central command. She half-walked, half-ran to the hangar, squeezing past engineers and enlisted personnel in the cramped bowels of the ship. Down at the far end of the bay stood her brand-new Telamon-class mech, a hulking 30-foot bipedal war machine bristling with armaments. The technicians were already loading its brachial missile racks and arm-mounted cannons. Dahlia could feel the furious rumble of its reactor roar in her chest as she walked down the gangway to the cockpit.

     The sharp hiss of the cockpit’s seal opening greeted her. She slid into the seat in one fluid motion, pressing her arms into the control linkages molded just for her. One by one, she felt the click and static discharge of cables connecting to the ports along her spine and limbs. With each new connection came a new data stream. Comms, visuals, IR and UV, LiDAR, reactor status and ammo readouts, all sprang to life on her display, felt as much as seen. Last came sensation - Linkage, the pilots called it. The ontological bridge between pilot and machine which allowed for direct, intuitive control, as if the chassis was itself the pilot’s body.

     Linkage online. Bridging stability 100%. Good afternoon, Dahlia. Shall I download mission data to the heads-up display?

     The words were broadcast into Dahlia’s mind more than spoken, though the onboard AI did pump them through the cockpit’s speakers.

     “Yes, Artemis, let’s get all mission data and maps of the landing zone pulled up.”

     A dozen information feeds began pumping into Dahlia’s head. For a brief instant she felt her head might explode from the pressure — but Artemis stepped in, culling and organizing the rivers of data into manageable streams. The two sat wordlessly entwined for what seemed to Dahlia like several hours, though her heads-up display indicated mere minutes had passed. The streams decreased to a trickle, then droplets, until finally there was no more.

��    The mission would be simple, Dahlia thought. The insurgents on Vega II had installed an automated orbital defense array to prevent off-world reinforcements from reaching the planet’s surface. It lacked sophistication. None of the combat droids they fielded had been manufactured this century, and their combat AI was equipped for little beyond basic swarm tactics. They reminded Dahlia of a virus. Unintelligent, dangerous in number only. She let Artemis slip into her conscious thoughts and felt the AI’s confidence mix with her own.

(Next)

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Realization of a cold atom gyroscope in space

High-precision space-based gyroscopes are important in space science research and space engineering applications. In fundamental physics research, they can be used to test the general relativity effects, such as the frame-dragging effect. These tests can explore the boundaries of the validity of general relativity and search for potential new physical theories. Several satellite projects have been implemented, including the Gravity Probe B (GP-B) and the Laser Relativity Satellite (LARES), which used electrostatic gyroscopes or the orbit data of the satellite to test the frame-dragging effect, achieving testing accuracies of 19% and 3% respectively. No violation of this general relativity effect was observed. Atom interferometers (AIs) use matter waves to measure inertial quantities. In space, thanks to the quiet satellite environment and long interference time, AIs are expected to achieve much higher acceleration and rotation measurement accuracies than those on the ground, making them important candidates for high-precision space-based inertial sensors. Europe and the United States propose relevant projects and have already conducted pre-research experiments for AIs using microgravity platforms such as the dropping tower, sounding rocket, parabolic flying plane, and the International Space Station.

The research team led by Mingsheng Zhan from the Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (APM) developed a payload named China Space Station Atom Interferometer (CSSAI) [npj Microgravity 2023, 9 (58): 1-10], which was launched in November 2022 and installed inside the High Microgravity Level Research Rack in the China Space Station (CSS) to carry out scientific experiments. This payload enables atomic interference experiments of 85Rb and 87Rb and features an integrated design. The overall size of the payload is only 46 cm × 33 cm × 26 cm, with a maximum power consumption of approximately 75 W. 

Recently, Zhan’s team used CSSAI to realize the space cold atom gyroscope measurements and systematically analyze its performance.  Based on the 87Rb atomic shearing interference fringes achieved in orbit, the team analyzed the optimal shearing angle relationship to eliminate rotational measurement errors and proposed methods to calibrate these angles, realizing precise in-orbit rotation and acceleration measurements. The uncertainty of the rotational measurement is better than 3.0×10⁻⁵ rad/s, and the resolution of the acceleration measurement is better than 1.1×10⁻⁶ m/s². The team also revealed various errors that affect the space rotational measurements. This research provides a basis for the future development of high-precision space quantum inertial sensors. This work has been published in the 4th issue of National Science Review in 2025, titled "Realization of a cold atom gyroscope in space". Professors Xi Chen, Jin Wang, and Mingsheng Zhan are the co-corresponding authors.

The research team analyzed and solved the dephasing problem of the cold atom shearing interference fringe. Under general cases, the period and phase of shearing fringes will be affected by the initial position and velocity distribution of cold atom clouds, thus resulting in errors in rotation and acceleration measurements. Through detailed analyses of the phase of the shearing fringes, a magic shearing angle relationship was found, which eliminates the dephasing caused by the parameters of the atom clouds. Furthermore, a scheme was proposed to calibrate the shearing angle precisely in orbit. Then, the research team carried out precision in-orbit rotation and acceleration measurements based on the shearing interference fringes. By utilizing the fringes with an interference time of 75 ms, a rotation measurement resolution of 50 μrad/s and an acceleration measurement resolution of 1.0 μm/s² were achieved for a single experiment. A long-term rotation measurement resolution of 17 μrad/s was achieved through data integration. Furthermore, the research team studied error terms for the in-orbit atom interference rotation measurement. Systematic effects were analyzed for the imaging magnification factor, shearing angle, interference time sequence, laser wavelength, atom cloud parameter, magnetic field distribution, etc. It is found that the shearing angle error is one of the main factors that limits the measurement accuracy of future high-precision cold atom gyroscopes in space. The rotation measured by CSSAI was compared with that measured by the gyroscope of the CSS, and these two measurement values are in good agreement, further demonstrating the reliability of the rotation measurement.

This work not only realized the world's first space cold atom gyroscope but also provided foundations for the future space quantum inertial sensors in engineering design, inertial quantity extraction, and error evaluation.

UPPER IMAGE: (Left) Rotation and acceleration measurements using the CSSAI in-orbit and (Right) Rotation comparison between the CSSAI and the classical gyroscopes of the CSS. Credit ©Science China Press

LOWER IMAGE: Atom interferometer and data analysis with it. (a) The China Space Station Atom interferometer. (b) Analysis of the dephasing of shearing fringes. (c) Calibration of the shearing angle. Credit ©Science China Press

[almondenterprise]

Innovations in Electrical Switchgear: What’s New in 2025?

The electrical switchgear industry is undergoing a dynamic transformation in 2025, fueled by the rapid integration of smart technologies, sustainability goals, and the growing demand for reliable power distribution systems. As a key player in modern infrastructure — whether in industrial plants, commercial facilities, or utilities — switchgear systems are becoming more intelligent, efficient, and future-ready.

At Almond Enterprise, we stay ahead of the curve by adapting to the latest industry innovations. In this blog, we’ll explore the most exciting developments in electrical switchgear in 2025 and what they mean for businesses, contractors, and project engineers.

Rise of Smart Switchgear

Smart switchgear is no longer a futuristic concept — it’s a necessity in 2025. These systems come equipped with:

IoT-based sensors

Real-time data monitoring

Remote diagnostics and control

Predictive maintenance alerts

This technology allows for remote management, helping facility managers reduce downtime, minimize energy losses, and detect issues before they become critical. At Almond Enterprise, we supply and support the integration of smart switchgear systems that align with Industry 4.0 standards.

2. Focus on Eco-Friendly and SF6-Free Alternatives

Traditional switchgear often relies on SF₆ gas for insulation, which is a potent greenhouse gas. In 2025, there’s a significant shift toward sustainable switchgear, including:

Vacuum Interrupter technology

Air-insulated switchgear (AIS)

Eco-efficient gas alternatives like g³ (Green Gas for Grid)

These options help organizations meet green building codes and corporate sustainability goals without compromising on performance.

3. Wireless Monitoring & Cloud Integration

Cloud-based platforms are transforming how switchgear systems are managed. The latest innovation includes:

Wireless communication protocols like LoRaWAN and Zigbee

Cloud dashboards for real-time visualization

Integration with Building Management Systems (BMS)

This connectivity enhances control, ensures quicker fault detection, and enables comprehensive energy analytics for large installations

4. AI and Machine Learning for Predictive Maintenance

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing maintenance practices. Switchgear in 2025 uses AI algorithms to:

Predict component failure

Optimize load distribution

Suggest optimal switchgear settings

This reduces unplanned outages, increases safety, and extends equipment life — particularly critical for mission-critical facilities like hospitals and data centers.

5. Enhanced Safety Features and Arc Flash Protection

With increasing focus on workplace safety, modern switchgear includes:

Advanced arc flash mitigation systems

Thermal imaging sensors

Remote racking and switching capabilities

These improvements ensure safer maintenance and operation, protecting personnel from high-voltage hazards.

6. Modular & Scalable Designs

Gone are the days of bulky, rigid designs. In 2025, switchgear units are:

Compact and modular

Easier to install and expand

Customizable based on load requirements

Almond Enterprise supplies modular switchgear tailored to your site’s unique needs, making it ideal for fast-paced infrastructure developments and industrial expansions.

7. Global Standardization and Compliance

As global standards evolve, modern switchgear must meet new IEC and IEEE guidelines. Innovations include:

Improved fault current limiting technologies

Higher voltage and current ratings with compact dimensions

Compliance with ISO 14001 for environmental management

Our team ensures all equipment adheres to the latest international regulations, providing peace of mind for consultants and project managers.

Final Thoughts: The Future is Electric

The switchgear industry in 2025 is smarter, safer, and more sustainable than ever. For companies looking to upgrade or design new power distribution systems, these innovations offer unmatched value.

At Almond Enterprise, we don’t just supply electrical switchgear — we provide expert solutions tailored to tomorrow’s energy challenges. Contact us today to learn how our cutting-edge switchgear offerings can power your future projects.

[kuliak]

Sustain - human interface.

Made some big changes to my case today. Since I hit the power ceiling of my old PSUs some time ago, modules had been getting set aside and rotated as I acquired new ones. I finally installed a row power and another busboard so I can re-install them and use everything I have concurrently. On top of all that, I also added a Planar 2 to my rack, on which I got an amazing deal secondhand at Perfect Circuit.

It's a more simple one today, but in the spirit of jamming as often as possible this month I wanted to get it down before I headed out for the night. Percussion is all Daiko controlled by Traffic, through Data Bender. The drone is Banshee Reach with waveshaping and envelope controlled by Planar. Finally, the breaks/resonance sweeps on the drum mix was made using triggers to progress mod chains on maestro. I want to explore this as I get into patching constellation too - the more meaningful macro controls I can set up, the better.

[johndjwan]

AOC vs DAC Cables: What’s the difference?

AOC (Active Optical Cable) and DAC (Direct Attach Cable) are both types of cables used for high-speed data transmission, particularly in data centers and networking environments. Here’s a breakdown of their differences:

Transmission Technology：

AOC (Active Optical Cable): Uses fiber optics for data transmission. It contains optical fibers and active components to convert electrical signals into optical signals and vice versa.

DAC (Direct Attach Cable): Consists of copper cables with integrated transceivers. It transmits electrical signals directly without converting them to optical signals.

Distance

AOC: Suitable for longer distances, typically up to 100 meters or more, depending on the specific type and application.

DAC: Generally effective for shorter distances, usually up to 7 meters, making it ideal for short interconnections within racks or between adjacent equipment.

Weight and Flexibility

AOC: Generally lighter and more flexible than DAC because of the fiber optic construction, which can make installation easier in tight spaces.

DAC: Heavier due to the copper construction, which can be less flexible and more cumbersome in some installations.

Cost

AOC: Typically more expensive than DAC due to the complexity of optical components.

DAC: Usually more cost-effective for short-distance connections due to simpler technology.

Use Cases

AOC: Preferred for longer connections in data centers, high-speed networking, or any application requiring long-distance data transmission.

DAC: Commonly used for short links between servers, switches, and storage devices within the same rack or nearby racks.

Summary

AOC is better for longer distances and high-speed applications, while DAC is a cost-effective solution for short-distance connections. Your choice depends on your specific requirements regarding distance, speed, weight, and budget.

[inwintersolitude]

- March 4th 2025 -

Do you care about what's going on in other countries? Yeah, I definitely do.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Dana Scully, Samwise Gamgee, April Ludgate, Lieutenant Commander Data.

Would you rather be 10 years older, or 10 years younger? Ideally I wouldn't want either, I really like my current age, but if I HAD to choose, I'd much rather be 25 again than skip ahead to 45.

Do you bite your fingernails? Nope, the thought makes my skin crawl.

What was the last thing you spent over $30 on? A bunch of stuff from the English Tea Store site. Or the last single item I spent over $30 on? I think it was the floor mat to put under the new recumbent stationary bike.

Do you have a hard time making decisions? Only in a few specific instances. Mainly, how to manage my time, structure my days, etc., and also when ordering food from a restaurant haha. It takes me forever to decide what I want. But other than that, I'm usually pretty decisive.

Do you and your partner text each other during your workdays? I don't work anymore because of medical stuff, and my husband spends most of his workday 35,000 feet above the Earth's surface and is not contactable lmao. And when he's between flights, we prefer to call rather than text.

Do you believe we have souls? I don't believe we "have" souls, I believe we are souls.

What's the worst job you've ever had? Worst in terms of job duties was working at an RV campground as a summer job when I was 19. Worst in terms of management and workplace culture was working at the charter jet company. I enjoyed the actual work but the place was run by a sadist.

What's a food you only started to like as an adult? I discovered a few months ago that apparently I suddenly like pickles now?? I went my whole life hating them, and then bam, now I like them. Weird.

What's your favorite city you've been to? London, Chicago, and maybe Galway.

Do you like energy drinks? Nope, I don't like the taste, plus that's way too much caffeine for me.

What would you do with your days if you had unlimited free time? I already have more free time than I know what to do with. I spend a lot of time reading, playing with my bird, journaling/taking surveys, doing photography/drone photography, watching documentaries, a bit of housework, light exercise if I feel okay enough to do it. And when my husband is off work, we spend free time together going to parks/museums/restaurants, watching our favorite TV series, shopping trips, visiting family, etc. But having this much free time is definitely a double-edged sword… it's nice to have a relaxing and slow lifestyle because stress makes my heart issues worse, but it also leads to me feeling somewhat aimless at times.

What's something you're proud of yourself for? Everything I accomplished between the ages of 19-22. I got my pilot's license at 19, then my commercial pilots license, then my flight instructor certification, all while I was a full time student studying aeronautics, and working in airport operations, and a competition pilot on a collegiate flying team. And I did all that despite having ADHD and autism. Looking back, I find it baffling that I somehow managed to accomplish all of that lol.

Do you own a pair of overalls? Nope.

What can you hear right now? My bird chirping at me. 🥹

What's for dinner tonight? No idea. I haven't decided yet.

Were you named after anyone? Nope.

Do you keep your kitchen cabinets organized? The top cabinets are all well-organized, but the bottom ones only have a shitty little shelf that isn't conducive to good organization. I'd like to eventually take those shelves out and install a pot/pan rack in the cabinet by the stove, and install pull-out drawers in all the other bottom cabinets.

Have you ever been to an island? Yeah - Hilton Head Island countless times, the Lake Erie Islands, Mackinac Island, the Virgin Islands, Roatán, Bermuda, also Great Britain and Ireland.

[mariacallous]

On a dead-end road that climbs out of the tiny city of Jenkins, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Eastern Kentucky, there stands a large warehouse with a mint green roof. It shares the road with a few other businesses, but is otherwise surrounded by an expanse of open fields and tree-lined slopes. Inside, the warehouse is stacked high with racks on racks of computers—thousands of them. But none have ever been switched on.

The warehouse is owned by Mohawk Energy, a company cofounded by Kentucky state senator Brandon Smith in 2005, originally to resculpt landscapes disfigured by coal mining. After lying dormant for a period, Mohawk was reincarnated in 2022 when Smith struck a deal with HBTPower, a company then owned by Chinese crypto exchange Huobi, which wanted to use the warehouse for a bitcoin mining operation.

Under the deal, Mohawk promised to fit up its warehouse with the necessary power infrastructure, operate the equipment, and funnel any bitcoin produced to HBT. In return, HBT would pay Mohawk a monthly hosting fee, a cut of its mining revenue, and the associated energy bills.

Smith says he hoped the arrangement would generate tax revenue and create jobs for former coal miners, who could be trained as repair technicians. The coal industry departed Jenkins long ago, the reserves depleted, leaving people in search of work. More than a third now live below the poverty line, per the latest census data. “I liked the idea of going from one type of mining to a new type,” says Smith. “I thought, now in Eastern Kentucky we are going to have our time—we’re going to catch up and play a part in the tech future.”

But after a promising start, the relationship between Mohawk and HBT soured and then fell apart. “Nothing has ever been turned on. It’s a fascinating, almost Willy Wonka–type atmosphere when you walk through,” says Smith. “It has turned into a disaster.”

In November 2023, HBT brought a lawsuit in federal court, alleging that Mohawk had breached its contract on several fronts, including by failing to install the appropriate power infrastructure and secure certain power subsidies, and attempting to sell off the mining equipment. “Ultimately, the source of the current dispute is Mohawk’s basic failure to comply with its obligations, not only in a timely way, but at all in many regards,” says Harout Samra, a specialist in international dispute resolution at law firm DLA Piper and representative for HBT.

Mohawk sued HBT in return, contesting the various alleged breaches and claiming that HBT is delinquent on more than $700,000 in rent, labor, and fit-up costs. The company is also seeking damages relating to the loss of income over the term of the contract and the inability to bring a new tenant into the facility while the equipment remains on-site. “Huobi simply made a bargain it believes now is a bad one, and wants to get out of it without paying the funds it owes,” the filing states.

The legal conflict, which remains unresolved, is just one in a series of fights between Chinese companies and the owners of industrial facilities in the rural US over failed bitcoin mining partnerships. What looked to facility owners in Kentucky like an irresistible opportunity to tap into a new line of business in an otherwise fallow period has turned into a nightmare. They claim to have been saddled with unpaid hosting fees and energy bills worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, with few options for recovering the money. The Chinese parties have been left equally displeased. “HBTPower obviously regrets that this opportunity has ultimately played out the way it has,” says Samra.

The bitcoin mining game—a race between computers to win the right to process a bundle of transactions and claim a crypto reward—is dominated by large corporations that own and operate industrial-scale facilities. But in 2021 and 2022, smaller-scale operations began to proliferate in the US countryside wherever there was available power, including in Kentucky. “A lot of mom-and-pop shops opened up,” says Phil Harvey, CEO at Sabre56, a firm that consults on crypto mining projects and operates its own facilities. “Appalachia has always been a good source of power.”

These small facilities were plugging a gap in the market. A ban on crypto mining in China had left businesses casting about for a new home for their many millions of dollars’ worth of mining equipment. “A lot of wealthy Chinese businesses were affected,” says Harvey. “Every minute these machines are down, they are losing revenue.” Meanwhile, as the price of bitcoin ballooned—and the profitability of mining along with it—mining firms and investor groups began to hoard large quantities of bitcoin mining equipment of their own, says Harvey, without considering where they might deploy it.

In an overheated market, holders of mining equipment jumped into hosting arrangements at short notice with owners of small facilities, some of whom had no prior experience and insufficient expertise, who agreed to install the equipment and run the mining operations on their behalf.

But the haste with which these hosting relationships came together, in the name of striking while bitcoin was hot, says Harvey, set many of the partnerships up for failure. There was limited due diligence conducted by parties on both sides, delays in kitting out facilities and deploying equipment, and disputes over payment terms, he says, among other points of friction. “It's a snowball effect where everyone just ends up getting pissed off with each other,” says Harvey.

Though the American market proved more expensive and bureaucratic than some Chinese businesses expected, says Harvey, problems were also caused by the hubris of facility owners, some of whom found themselves in over their heads. “It’s no joke running a [bitcoin mining] operation of any kind of scale,” he says. “Just because the Chinese are tough to do business with, doesn’t mean they are the ones in the wrong. I would say that blame is equally shared.”

The law firm acting for Mohawk in its dispute with HBT, Anna Whites Law Office, has represented multiple owners of small facilities in Kentucky in similar legal conflicts with Chinese partners. The cases differ from the Mohawk situation, says attorney Anna Whites, founder of the firm, but share a common thread: “We saw a pattern that [companies with ties to China] would ship in machines with uncertain provenance, mine very heavily for three months, then run without paying the bill,” she claims.

Some of the cases settled out of court; Whites is unable to supply the details for reasons of client confidentiality. But others continue to drag on.

Biofuel Mining, a company formerly co-owned by Smith, is involved in legal tangles with two companies that Whites believes to be run out of China: Touzi Tech and VCV Power Gamma. Although both are incorporated in Delaware, per SEC filings, they conduct business in Mandarin and cannot be reached at their listed US addresses, Whites claims. “It's pretty standard for the foreign entities from any country to get a short-term office so that they have less scrutiny from US investors and government agencies,” she says.

In both cases, Biofuel claims, the firms shipped equipment from China to its hosting facility in Eastern Kentucky, then walked away with the bitcoin produced, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid energy bills and hosting fees.

Biofuel reached a settlement with Touzi in early 2022 for $60,000, but despite having handed back the mining equipment, it claims not to have received the sum it is owed under the agreement.

In the still-unresolved spat with VCV, Biofuel received permission from the Martin County Circuit Court in Kentucky to sell off the mining equipment, claims Whites, to recoup a portion of the funds it is owed (she has not confirmed the amount), but she alleges that no damages have yet been awarded. VCV has stopped responding to communications, she claims.

Biofuel has since dissolved, put out of business by the failed hosting ventures. “I literally lost my house—I lost everything. It financially ruined me,” says Wes Hamilton, former Biofuel Mining CEO. “I’m just so frustrated about the whole thing.”

WIRED contacted VCV and Touzi for comment, but did not receive any response.

There are few financial recovery options for companies like Mohawk and Biofuel. The situation is made more difficult, as in the Mohawk case, if they are dealing with so-called special purpose entities. Because they are set up by their parent companies for a single specific business venture, these entities need not be concerned about their long-term ability to operate in the US.

“It certainly can be more difficult to recover damages from a non-US counterparty,” says Kim Havlin, a partner in the global commercial litigation practice at law firm White & Case. “There is certainly a risk that an entity that doesn’t need to be in the US may just ignore the case.”

Even if the Kentucky facility owners win out in court, it could be difficult to collect any damages awarded. “A judgment is essentially a piece of paper. Any judgment needs to be turned into assets or cash in order to be valuable,” says Havlin. If the opposing party refuses to pay up and has no US assets to collect against, sometimes that isn’t possible.

Almost a year after the dispute began, the Mohawk case is stuck in legal limbo. In a setback for Mohawk, the presiding judge recently denied its motion to dismiss HBT’s complaint, on the basis that it had failed to sufficiently back up its argument. The judge also pushed Mohawk’s countersuit into arbitration, a forum for resolving disputes privately instead of in open court. Non-US parties tend to prefer arbitration as a way to “remove a home forum from both sides,” explains Havlin. “You can pick an arbitral seat in neither country as a means of creating a neutral playing field.” A parallel federal court hearing is set for December to consider whether an injunction should be imposed on Mohawk, preventing it from selling off the remaining HBT equipment in its possession.

Smith has given up on the idea of recovering the full amount he claims to be owed. “We’re at the point that it’s almost silly to even be arguing about breaking even,” he says.

In an interview with PBS that aired in September 2023, touting the Mohawk Energy facility, Smith said he hoped to prove that not every business that blew into Jenkins would abandon the area. “I’ve stood at their ribbon cuttings, then watched them leave. I’d like to do something to let people know that not everybody is like that,” he said.

After the relationship with HBT collapsed last year, Smith faces the prospect of Mohawk becoming yet another false start. With the facility inactive, the company has been forced to dismiss the former coal miners brought on as technicians. (It is unclear how many people it employed.)

The Mohawk facility was perhaps never set to revitalize Jenkins in the way Smith hoped, anyway. “I would say that a rural community benefits very little from a bitcoin mining facility. In terms of job creation, it’s minimal in a lot of cases,” says Harvey, the consultant. “It's certainly not the savior to a dwindling community.”

Nonetheless, Smith remains hopeful of salvaging the crypto mining project, with a new partner. “I’m hoping that this gets settled in the way that it should and that somebody comes forward and lets us go through with the vision that we wanted for this region,” he says. “I hope every day that maybe some big company will see that there's a place ready to go in this part of the country.”

Otherwise, Mohawk’s dalliance with bitcoin mining will become a cautionary tale. “It was very hurtful to see these families lose their income. We were one of the biggest payrolls in Jenkins,” says Smith. “It adds insult to injury that I’m sitting here arguing in court.”

[cursed-40k-thoughts]

What is Unity? I keep seeing nightmare capitalism posts about it but don’t quite get what it is or how to avoid it

Uh. It’s a game engine. It’s going to start charging the developers for each time a game running it is installed. Taxing them, basically. If the game makes over $200,000 (not hard for a game these days) and sells over 200,000 copies (certainly doable) then Unity will backend their tax onto the developer. Keep in mind that you typically have to pay for Unity to use it in the first place anyway, and it’s not cheap, but cheap enough for indie game devs to be able to use. These are the devs who will be most impacted by a flat tax, for obvious reasons.

There’s also a lot of vaguery around it on Unity’s end which is not good. Does it run through Unity install instances, or through game ownership? Do individual reinstalls of a game contribute to their dodgy track metric? Do pirated games also rack up charges against the developer? How exactly is Unity collecting this specific data from users?

This is on the back of the company firing ~900 people this year and launching AI tools for AI games, which as you imagine is not a well-liked move.

Company is piloted by twats, basically. Unless you’re in the business of using their engine to make games, though, it won’t impact you. Hopefully they roll the decision back due to backlash, but 2023 is the year of shit that keeps happening.

[wearcommunications]

How Can Wear Communications Improve Your Connectivity in Surrey?

Whether you're upgrading a home network, building out commercial infrastructure, or setting up a reliable TV system, the quality of your installation makes all the difference. In Surrey, where everything from rural homes to corporate offices demand high-speed, stable connections, Wear Communications stands out as a trusted provider of professional WiFi installation, satellite installation, aerial installation, and network data cabling services.

With decades of technical experience and a strong focus on reliable performance, the team delivers future-ready solutions to properties across Surrey. Here’s how their services ensure better connectivity and lasting value.

WiFi Installation Surrey – Eliminate Blackspots and Boost Performance

Slow internet and patchy signals are more than just inconvenient—they disrupt daily life and work productivity. Wear Communications provides expert WiFi installation in Surrey, customised to suit the size, structure, and layout of each property.

Their engineers don’t just plug in a router—they analyse the building’s architecture, assess interference levels, and install systems that maximise both coverage and speed. Using high-quality mesh networks, business-grade access points, and secure configurations, they ensure every room gets reliable WiFi.

Ideal for:

Home offices and remote work

Multi-device households

Online gaming and streaming

Small to medium businesses

Whether it’s a top-floor flat in Woking or a detached property in Epsom, Wear Communications brings consistent internet performance throughout your space.

Satellite Installation Surrey – Accurate Setup for Stronger Signals

Modern entertainment depends on more than just smart TVs—it requires properly installed satellite systems that deliver uninterrupted viewing. With Wear Communications' expert satellite installation in Surrey, you can expect professionally aligned dishes, robust signal strength, and discreet installation that suits the look of your home or office.

The team supports:

Sky, Freesat, and international systems

New dish installations and system upgrades

Repositioning, alignment, and fault correction

Multi-room connectivity for households or shared buildings

They work efficiently while respecting your property—minimising disruption while delivering flawless satellite reception.

Aerial Installation Surrey – Crisp Reception for Every Screen

Still relying on Freeview or digital aerial services? You’re not alone. Thousands of Surrey residents watch TV through aerial connections. However, poor installation or outdated equipment can cause interference, weak signals, or full loss of service.

That’s where Wear Communications steps in, offering top-tier aerial installation in Surrey tailored to your environment. From new builds to heritage properties, they ensure your signal is strong and stable—regardless of location or building type.

Their aerial installation services cover:

Digital TV aerial systems

DAB and FM radio aerials

Signal testing and fine-tuning

Aerial upgrades, repositioning, and fault repairs

Every job includes a full assessment to ensure the aerial works in harmony with the surrounding signal landscape, avoiding tall trees, obstructions, or reflective materials that can affect performance.

Network Data Cabling Surrey – Smart Wiring for the Digital Age

WiFi has its place, but when you need speed, stability, and security, nothing beats structured cabling. Businesses, landlords, and homeowners alike turn to Wear Communications for dependable network data cabling in Surrey that supports high-bandwidth applications, security systems, and smart building setups.

Their data cabling solutions include:

CAT5e, CAT6, and CAT7 installations

Structured cabling design and layout

Ethernet point installations for homes and offices

Fibre optic cabling for ultra-fast connections

Patch panels and server rack configuration

Every cable is routed cleanly and tested before sign-off, ensuring the network is ready to support remote working, VoIP, CCTV, or any other data-heavy setup.

Tailored Solutions for Residential and Commercial Clients

What makes Wear Communications different is their ability to handle both residential and commercial projects with equal care and precision. Whether you're a homeowner in need of a new aerial, or a facilities manager overseeing a data cabling rollout in a multi-storey office, their team delivers scalable solutions with a personal touch.

Clients include:

Homeowners improving their entertainment systems

Builders needing installation across multiple plots

Landlords ensuring strong signal across rental units

Offices upgrading to modern, high-speed networks

Retail stores requiring strong WiFi for POS and CCTV

Every job is handled by trained engineers who understand the specific connectivity demands of each environment.

More Than Installation: Ongoing Support You Can Count On

Connectivity isn’t just about getting things set up—it’s about making sure it keeps working long-term. Wear Communications offers more than just installation; they also provide diagnostics, upgrades, maintenance, and system health checks to ensure your setup continues to deliver.

This is especially important in larger homes, older buildings, or environments with changing tech demands. As smart homes and connected offices become the norm, your system should grow with you.

They also offer advice on:

Device compatibility

Equipment positioning

Network security

Future-proofing with cabling and hardware

This consultative approach ensures you're not just connected today—but prepared for tomorrow.

Get Connected with Confidence – Choose Wear Communications

If you're looking for:

Professional WiFi installation in Surrey

Accurate and secure satellite installation in Surrey

Durable and discreet aerial installation in Surrey

Future-ready network data cabling in Surrey

Wear Communications offers everything you need under one roof.

Whether you're planning a new setup, fixing ongoing issues, or upgrading for better performance, their team is ready to help. With years of experience, a strong reputation in Surrey, and a customer-first mindset, they’re the go-to choice for communication system installations across the region.Contact Wear Communications today to book a site visit or speak with a qualified engineer about your property’s connectivity needs.

[chemicalmarketwatch-sp]

Exploring the Growing $21.3 Billion Data Center Liquid Cooling Market: Trends and Opportunities

In an era marked by rapid digital expansion, data centers have become essential infrastructures supporting the growing demands for data processing and storage. However, these facilities face a significant challenge: maintaining optimal operating temperatures for their equipment. Traditional air-cooling methods are becoming increasingly inadequate as server densities rise and heat generation intensifies. Liquid cooling is emerging as a transformative solution that addresses these challenges and is set to redefine the cooling landscape for data centers.

What is Liquid Cooling?

Liquid cooling systems utilize liquids to transfer heat away from critical components within data centers. Unlike conventional air cooling, which relies on air to dissipate heat, liquid cooling is much more efficient. By circulating a cooling fluid—commonly water or specialized refrigerants—through heat exchangers and directly to the heat sources, data centers can maintain lower temperatures, improving overall performance.

Market Growth and Trends

The data centre liquid cooling market  is on an impressive growth trajectory. According to industry analysis, this market is projected to grow USD 21.3 billion by 2030, achieving a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.6%. This upward trend is fueled by several key factors, including the increasing demand for high-performance computing (HPC), advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), and a growing emphasis on energy-efficient operations.

Key Factors Driving Adoption

1. Rising Heat Density

The trend toward higher power density in server configurations poses a significant challenge for cooling systems. With modern servers generating more heat than ever, traditional air cooling methods are struggling to keep pace. Liquid cooling effectively addresses this issue, enabling higher density server deployments without sacrificing efficiency.

2. Energy Efficiency Improvements

A standout advantage of liquid cooling systems is their energy efficiency. Studies indicate that these systems can reduce energy consumption by up to 50% compared to air cooling. This not only lowers operational costs for data center operators but also supports sustainability initiatives aimed at reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.

3. Space Efficiency

Data center operators often grapple with limited space, making it crucial to optimize cooling solutions. Liquid cooling systems typically require less physical space than air-cooled alternatives. This efficiency allows operators to enhance server capacity and performance without the need for additional physical expansion.

4. Technological Innovations

The development of advanced cooling technologies, such as direct-to-chip cooling and immersion cooling, is further propelling the effectiveness of liquid cooling solutions. Direct-to-chip cooling channels coolant directly to the components generating heat, while immersion cooling involves submerging entire server racks in non-conductive liquids, both of which push thermal management to new heights.

Overcoming Challenges

While the benefits of liquid cooling are compelling, the transition to this technology presents certain challenges. Initial installation costs can be significant, and some operators may be hesitant due to concerns regarding complexity and ongoing maintenance. However, as liquid cooling technology advances and adoption rates increase, it is expected that costs will decrease, making it a more accessible option for a wider range of data center operators.

The Competitive Landscape

The data center liquid cooling market is home to several key players, including established companies like Schneider Electric, Vertiv, and Asetek, as well as innovative startups committed to developing cutting-edge thermal management solutions. These organizations are actively investing in research and development to refine the performance and reliability of liquid cooling systems, ensuring they meet the evolving needs of data center operators.

Download PDF Brochure : 

The outlook for the data center liquid cooling market is promising. As organizations prioritize energy efficiency and sustainability in their operations, liquid cooling is likely to become a standard practice. The integration of AI and machine learning into cooling systems will further enhance performance, enabling dynamic adjustments based on real-time thermal demands.

The evolution of liquid cooling in data centers represents a crucial shift toward more efficient, sustainable, and high-performing computing environments. As the demand for advanced cooling solutions rises in response to technological advancements, liquid cooling is not merely an option—it is an essential element of the future data center landscape. By embracing this innovative approach, organizations can gain a significant competitive advantage in an increasingly digital world.

[hirocimacruiser]

CUSTOMIZE VOXY

Tommykaira

“You won’t know until you ride!”

The staff at Tomita Yume Factory has been familiar with European cars for many years. With that sensibility and technology, the ``Tommykaira VOXY'' has achieved a smooth ride that is on par with European cars!

"A new generation eight-seater sports car"

Why not try tracing the winding tracks for a cool look?

Tommykaira's idea of ​​a minivan: a new generation 8-seater sports car. Traditionally, minivans have been associated with superior comfort, but their driving performance has been questionable. This was the established theory.

However, ``Tommykaira VOXY'' denies this.

After careful consideration, we found a suspension that we were really satisfied with.

The setting know-how known as ``Tommy Kaira Magic'' has been poured into this car, resulting in a confident finish that exudes the scent of a sports car.

The responsive engine feeling is also outstanding.

Accelerator work exactly as you want, so you don't feel stressed.

absolute presence

The front grill of “Tommykaira VOXY” has a strong presence.

An idea that shatters the conventional concept of dress-up.

The design and volume dramatically change the appearance.

A “box” that doesn’t feel like a “box”

There is absolutely nothing wrong with his aggressive style.

A car that makes you feel cool.

I want to be a good father and a good man.

It makes that ideal a reality.

SPECIFICATION

BODY

Lenth: 4,560mm Width: 1,695mm Height: 1,820 Wheelbase: 2,825

Tread: [Front] 1,480mm [Rear] 1,470mm

ENGINE

IAZ-FSE(D-4)

Bore Stroke: 86.0mm×86.0mm

Piston Displacement : 1998cc

max output: 161ps/6,000rpm

max Torque: 21.1kgm / 4,000rpm

LAYOUT

Front Wheels Drive [2WD] or Four Wheels Drive[4WD]

Transmission: 4AT

Wheels: 7.5JX18/+47 (front & Rear)

Tire: 225/40ZR18 (front&Rear)

Suspension: Original Sports Spring + Shock absorber

Steering Rack & Pinion

*The above data are specifications measured using our chassis dynamo. There may be errors depending on the measurement time/model.

TOMITA Dream FactoryTommyKaira Customized Complete Car

¥2,520,000 (VOXY X 2WD base)

CUSTOMIZE VOXY

Tommykaira

①Front grill (painted, with Tommykaira emblem)

¥42,000

②Sports coil spring (25~30mm down)

¥44,000

③ Shock absorber

¥154,000

④ Front brake pad (street specification)

¥15,000

⑤ 18inch wheel (18X7.5J +47) Silver

¥136,000

"Chrome plated finish *Photo shows chrome plated finish

¥172,000

⑥ 18inch tires (225/40ZR18)

120,000¥

⑦ Earthing system

¥22,000

⑧ Muffler (rear piece made entirely of stainless steel)

¥62,000

⑨ Air intake kit (filter + 70 stainless steel)

¥24,000

10 Mascot emblem (Cloisonné)

¥8,000

11Tommykaira emblem

¥5,000

12 Radiator cap (1.3kg/cm)

¥3,600

13 Customized plate

Side decal (see front photo)

¥48,000

*Compatible with genuine colors.

Bring-in tuning/

¥830,000

full kit ① ~ 13 (side decal included, no plate)

¥668,000*

reasonable kit ¥ 559,000

(1+2+3+5+6+8+10+11)

*Does not include installation fees.

www.tommykaira.com

info@tommykaira.com

075-464-3311(**)

■All prices do not include options, registration fees, or consumption tax.

TOMITA Dream Factory

■Price Please note that specification data, etc. may change without notice.