#People Counting System Market report

[evermoredeluxe]

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Grand Total: A Record $2 Billion

By Ben Sisario

For the last 21 months, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has been the biggest thing in music — a phenomenon that has engulfed pop culture, dominated news coverage and boosted local economies around the world.

Now we know exactly how big.

Through its 149th and final show, which took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sunday, Swift’s tour sold a total of $2,077,618,725 in tickets. That’s two billion and change — double the gross ticket sales of any other concert tour in history and an extraordinary new benchmark for a white-hot international concert business.

Those figures were confirmed to The New York Times for the first time by Taylor Swift Touring, the singer’s production company. While the financial details of the Eras Tour have been a subject of constant industry speculation since tickets were first offered more than two years ago — through a presale so in-demand it crashed Ticketmaster’s system — Swift has never authorized disclosure of the tour’s numbers until now.

The official results are not far from the estimates that trade journalists and industry analysts have been crunching for months. But they solidify the enormous scale of Swift’s accomplishment. Just a few months ago, Billboard magazine reported that Coldplay had set an industry record with $1 billion in ticket sales for its 156-date Music of the Spheres World Tour — a figure that is just half of Swift’s total for a similar stretch of shows in stadiums and arenas.

Every date on the Eras Tour was sold out, and spare tickets were scalped at eye-popping prices — or traded within the protective Swiftie fan community, often at face value.

According to Swift’s touring company, a total of 10,168,008 people attended the concerts, which means that, on average, each seat went for about $204. That is well above the industry average of $131 for the top 100 tours around the world in 2023, according to Pollstar, a trade publication.

The biggest single night’s attendance was in Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 16, 2024, with 96,006. And Swift’s eight nights at Wembley Stadium in London, which she played more than any other venue, drew 753,112 people — about as many as live in Seattle.

As gigantic as they are, the figures revealed by Swift’s company are only part of the overall business that has surrounded the tour. They exclude her extraordinary merchandise sales, for example, a product line so in demand that Swift opened stadium sales booths a day early in some markets to sell T-shirts, hoodies and Christmas ornaments to fans, ticketed or not.

And they do not count the secondary market of online ticket resellers. According to StubHub, the Eras Tour was the biggest-selling tour in the platform’s two-decade history, and last year it outsold Beyoncé’s shows by a factor of five. Another ticketing company, Victory Live, said the average price for resold tickets to the Eras Tour’s three Vancouver dates was $2,952. (Swift earned nothing from resold tickets.)

Beyond its numbers, the Eras Tour has been a mega-event that elevated the already-super-famous Swift to a new level, making her an epochal symbol of cultural saturation on the level of the Beatles in the 1960s or Michael Jackson in his ’80s prime. Swift’s every onstage utterance, outfit swap or offstage sighting was thoroughly documented, on social media and in the mainstream press, with news outlets big and small rushing to capture Swifties’ clicks. Online, fans tracked every tweak to the three-hour-plus set lists.

As the story of Swift’s tour took shape, it seemed to contain its own eras within it. First, in November 2022, came the ticket fiasco, when Ticketmaster was overwhelmed by what it said were 3.5 billion online requests for tickets, many from scalpers’ bots. The furor over those problems led to a Senate Judiciary hearing in January 2023, at which lawmakers from both parties openly called Ticketmaster’s corporate parent, Live Nation, a monopoly. (This year, the Justice Department filed an antitrust suit against Live Nation, calling for a breakup of the company.)

Then came the tour and the folkways that developed around it, like fans trading hand-assembled friendship bracelets. After the tour’s stop in Kansas City, Mo., a public flirtation between Swift and Travis Kelce, the star tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs, developed into a full-on romance, with the pop star and the football hunk sharing a field-level smooch after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII in February. The photographers definitely did not miss it.

In October 2023, she released “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” a nearly three-hour concert film, released through a direct distribution deal with AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest theater operator. It sold about $93 million in tickets during its opening weekend, and ended up with $261 million in worldwide grosses, according to Box Office Mojo. The next step was a streaming deal with Disney+. A 256-page hardcover tour book, released last month through Target stores, sold 814,000 print copies in its first two days on sale.

As the tour moved to Europe in 2024, it narrowly avoided what could have been a major catastrophe when a terrorist bomb plot was uncovered before three planned shows in Vienna. Those events were canceled and never rescheduled.

Although Swift has largely avoided the news media during the tour, over time she has pulled back the curtain a bit to reveal some of how it came together. To prepare herself for the physical demands of the show, she trained for six months, with a cardio regimen that included singing the entire set list while running on a treadmill, she told Time magazine.

“I knew this tour was harder than anything I’d ever done before by a long shot,” the magazine quoted her as saying. “I finally, for the very first time, physically prepared correctly.”

The music video for “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” from her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department” — her third release over the course of the tour, including two rerecorded versions of older albums — has behind-the-scenes clips confirming some of the stagecraft mechanics that fans have carefully cataloged on social media, like how she “dives” each night through a “hole” in the stage (onto a soft cushion held by crew members) and how she is ferried backstage in a dummy janitor’s cart.

The tour concludes just as Swift celebrates yet another win: “Tortured Poets” has returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for a 16th week, with help from vinyl and CD sales of the 35-track “Anthology” edition of the album, which Swift released on Black Friday, also through Target. “Tortured Poets” is by far the biggest-selling album of the year so far.

Swift is up for six awards at the Grammys in February, including album of the year for “Tortured Poets” and both record and song of the year for one of its singles, “Fortnight.”

At a recent tour stop in Toronto, as the tour neared its end, Swift teared up as she delivered valedictory remarks to fans.

“My band, my crew, all my fellow performers,” she said, “we have put so much of our lives into this, and you put so much of your lives into being with us tonight and to giving us that moment that we will never forget.”

[fluentmoviequoter]

Why We Pretend We Can't

Part 2 of Pretending You Can't

Requested Here!

Pairing: Adam Karadec x fem!cop(analyst)!reader

Summary: Months after he realized how touch starved you are, Karadec continues helping you overcome your touch starvation and get used to touch.

Warnings: touchstarved r, emotional vulnerability, canon-divergent backstory for Karadec, minor injuries, fluff and comfort

Word Count: 3.0k+ words

High Potential Masterlist | Masterlist Directory | Request Rules/Info

“Lieutenant Melon asked to see you,” an officer tells you.

You look up from your desk in the Major Crimes bullpen and nod once. You’ve spoken to him a few times since you were transferred out of Robbery/Homicide, but an early-morning call can’t be anything good. Coming in early to complete reports has become a habit, but your routine is interrupted. You lock your computer screen before you stand, and when you brush your hands together, you realize that the muscles in your arms and hands have tensed.

Last night, you didn’t sleep well, thinking about your loneliness and relationships that aren’t where they should be. It’s a cycle you’re used to, but one you thought you left behind when you found a group of friends and realized that Adam Karadec’s hands feel like home. Yet, it’s been a long few months since his unexpected house call, and not every day can be good.

“Good morning,” you greet, knocking on Melon’s open door.

“Morning, traitor,” he replies. “I’ve got something I could use your help on.” You open your mouth to argue that you have a new job, but he cuts you off. “I promise it’ll only take a few hours. I need some intel and no one else seems to be able to find it.”

“What intel?” you inquire.

“String of robberies in the nicest neighborhoods of Los Angeles. The thieves seem to be targeting houses with expensive safes.”

“Marketed as impregnable?”

“Some, but not all. Most of these safes run upwards of $10,000, and they’re opening them like pocket doors. Current estimated losses from the insurance companies is around $2 million.”

“Homes have security systems?”

“They do. I’ve got a list of addresses, safe makes and models, security system information, and how much time the crew spent in each home.”

“How big is the crew? And how much time are they averaging?”

“Five people, from what we can tell, spending less than 9 minutes inside.”

You hum, somewhat impressed by the criminal crew's efficiency. “Email me the information and I’ll see what I can find.”

“You’re the best!”

“I’m not coming back,” you reply with a smile.

“It was worth a shot.”

Back at your desk, you organize Melon’s quickly-typed reports into a spreadsheet. Then, you pull up property records to look for any connection between the homeowners. You don't hear anyone enter the bullpen as you compare and analyze the information about the different security systems and safes.

A hand lands on your shoulder, and you jerk away from the unexpected touch. Morgan lifts her hand when you move and sends you a close-lipped smile.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” she offers.

“It’s fine,” you reply, smiling as you shake your head. “I just didn’t hear you come in, lost in the work. Sorry.”

“What work?” she inquires, setting her bag on Karadec’s desk. “I thought we closed the last case yesterday.”

“The last case for now,” Oz corrects as he walks to his desk.

“I’m assisting Melon with a string of safe robberies.”

“He does remember that you’re not his gopher, right?” Daphne inquires.

“Do you guys carpool?” you wonder aloud.

“No, we just get to work on time,” Karadec answers, looking between you and Morgan. “You should try it sometime.”

“If you’re not early, you’re late.”

“And you’ll sleep when you’re dead?” Karadec challenges. “Thin line between dedication, obsession, and avoidance.”

“Are we taking a break from murder and mayhem for philosophy?” Soto interjects.

“Something like that,” Daphne replies. “Have anything for us?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Then we can help with the safe cracking!” Morgan announces.

“I think I found the connection,” you say. “Every one of these safes was manufactured in California, and the homeowners purchased them from West Coast Safes. The safes are installed by a five-man team.”

“You think the installation team is robbing the safes,” Karadec clarifies.

“I do.”

He nods, and Daphne calls Morgan to her desk for her opinion. Karadec moves to stand beside you, and his gaze drops to your tense shoulders, your muscles tightened from holding your shoulders back and up as if you’re guarding yourself against something.

“What are they stealing?” he asks.

“Guns, jewelry, silver, the standard safe contents.”

“Are the safes specific to those contents?”

You hum, pulling up the specs once more. “All but one. The most recent robbery was a tactical safe, but the insurance claim lists precious metals as stolen.”

“They could be looking for something specific, then.”

“I’ll pass that along to Melon,” you offer. “Thank you.”

Karadec nods, watches you email your spreadsheet and findings, and then steps toward the door with you.

“I’ll be right back,” you remind him.

“Are you okay?” he asks softly.

You purse your lips, then nod. As you walk away, feeling Karadec’s eyes on you, you’re reminded of Morgan’s unexpected touch this morning. Karadec sees you past your professionalism and analytic abilities and sees the loneliness and touch deprivation you hide behind your smile. A few hugs from Karadec will help, but the emotions beneath longing for a caring touch won’t disappear if he stays close.

When you return from lunch – which you ate alone in your car because your friends are investigating an attempted assassination – there’s something in your chair. You pull it away from your desk and smile when you realize what it is. Last week, you investigated a stabbing in a neighborhood grocery store and saw a police officer Squishmallow. You couldn’t justify buying a stuffed animal for yourself, especially at a bloody scene. As you pull the soft koala into your arms, you smile. You suspect you know who may have noticed your infatuation with Detective Kirk. But there are no real clues as to which of your new friends gifted you the perfectly huggable detective. With him safe in your bag, you open a report and return to work, your heart feeling lighter with the knowledge that someone cares.

Running your finger along your opposite forearm, you attempt to soothe yourself and go to sleep. Your blankets are arranged comfortably, your new Squishmallow is cuddled against your side, and the mellifluous melody of white noise fills your room. Still, you can’t fall asleep because you feel as if you are drowning in your loneliness and sorrow. Your mind races with the idea that you’ll never be in a meaningful relationship, held just for the sake of it, or kissed breathless because someone can’t help but show you they love you.

Fighting the urge to reach for your phone, you close your eyes and try to imagine you’re somewhere else, living a different life. Your doorbell ringing interrupts that attempt to induce slumber. You ignore it, but the knocks that follow make you groan. Rather than looking at the doorbell camera, you remove yourself from your comfortable imitation of a nest, pull your robe on, and walk to the front door.

“Karadec,” you greet, crossing your arms over your chest. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t think so,” he answers. “Tell me if I’m overstepping, but you pulled back. I know I told you that you decide how far this goes, but if you don’t get some help, this is going to get worse.”

“I know,” you murmur. You open the door wider, tip your head inside, and close the door behind Karadec.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks.

“I don’t want to pull away when someone I care about reaches toward me, but I can’t stop it,” you admit. “Morgan laid her hand on me this morning, and it hurt so much. I didn’t even think about it before I moved.”

“That’s not your fault.”

“Why are you being so nice to me about this?” you inquire.

“Because I’ve been there,” he offers. “My old partner and I were friends, we hung out, slapped each other on the back, and then he left. I was alone, and before I even realized that I hadn’t been hugged in months, I was recoiling from every little thing.”

“How’d you make it better?”

Karadec shrugs. “I don’t think I did. I’ve always had a problem with touch-“

“The hand sanitizer,” you interject.

“Yeah… so when I started dreading people touching me, I kind of accepted it. You can’t do that.”

“You did.”

“You aren’t me. This is hurting you. It’s not just the pain of unexpected touch; there’s anxiety, stress, loneliness, and based on the fact that you opened the door, I’m betting you’re having trouble sleeping.”

“You Googled touch starvation, didn’t you?” you ask, lifting your brows.

“No,” Karadec answers, incredulous. “I asked Morgan.”

You laugh, shaking your head as you step closer to Karadec.

“Do you want to talk to someone?” he asks.

“Not really.”

“Do you want to become a cat person and have them to cuddle?”

“Not really.”

“Do you want any help?”

“I… I don’t know. The only time I can remember enjoying being touched was with you.”

Karadec doesn’t reply, and you close your eyes, realizing how it sounded.

“Sorry,” you offer. “I just mean- I don’t have many people in my life, and that was new. But it was different.”

Karadec nods, but your eyes are still closed. He reaches toward you, stops an inch short, and lets his warmth linger. With his eyes on your face, he doesn’t notice you lean forward until your hand bumps into his.

“Why me?” you ask, blinking your eyes open but not moving your hand.

“Why not you?” Karadec challenges.

“That’s not an answer.”

You turn your hand, pressing your palm to Karadec’s larger one. He swipes his thumb across your knuckles, and you shiver at the feeling. Your shoulders drop at his touch, your tension loosening at the physical statement that you are not alone, that someone cares about you.

“Detective Kirk,” you say.

“Who?” Karadec asks, his brows lifting.

“The Squishmallow,” you explain. “Was that from you?”

“Cuddling something can help.”

“Thank you.”

“The less touch-starved you are, the easier it will be to encounter unfamiliar touch.”

“So, you’re saying that if I want to stop overreacting to being touched, I need to be touched more. That sounds like a solid plan,” you deadpan.

“I’m saying that this isn’t 0 to 60, you’re going to have to warm up to being touched. Hold someone’s hand sometime, shake a stranger’s hand, and then ask for a hug. Little things to adjust.”

“I can’t just do that, Karadec.”

He looks pointedly at your interlaced fingers, then back up at your face. Settled on the back of your couch, he’s shorter than you, and you look over his head as you smile.

“You know what I mean.”

“Then do it with me, but don’t let yourself spiral in this.”

“We’ll have to invest in bulk hand sanitizer,” you muse.

Karadec’s gaze wanders around your home, and when he sees your fridge - and the to-do list on it - he tilts his head in thought. “You’re task-driven, analytic, right?”

“I don’t like where this is going,” you murmur.

“Here’s your first task-“

“Are you my therapist now?”

“First task,” Karadec repeats sternly. “This week, find an opportunity to comfort someone with touch. A hand on their shoulder, tap the back of their hand during a shake, whatever it may be. It can be 2 seconds or 20 minutes, but you initiate it.”

“I… okay, I can do that.”

“Good.” Karadec lifts his free hand to your waist, and you step into his touch. “Does it hurt?”

“Not so much now,” you whisper.

Karadec smiles, then jokes, “First two visits are free of charge.”

“… doesn’t get me.”

Karadec hears Ava but hasn’t seen Morgan all morning. He walks toward the office where he thinks she is and stops when he hears another voice.

“Do you get her?”

Aware that he’s intruding, Karadec turns away, but he sees you through the blinds. Your hand rubs comforting circles on Ava’s back, and Karadec returns to the bullpen with a smile.

“Where is she?” Karadec demands as he enters the emergency room. “Now.”

“3rd door,” the nurse answers quickly, pointing down the hall.

“What was he thinking?” Karadec asks Daphne. “She’s an analyst.”

“She’s really good at more than analyzing, you know that,” Daphne reminds him. “It was an audible, and she could have said no.”

“He shouldn’t have asked!”

“Hey, you need to calm down before we go in there.”

Karadec slows, taking a deep breath as he heeds Daphne’s advice. The call that you were injured came as a surprise. You were going to look at a safe, accompanied by three police officers, yet you’re in the emergency room, and they’re unharmed back at the station.

“Hey,” Daphne greets, smiling at you. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” you answer. “They’re overreacting.”

“Melon said someone tried to put a drill bit through your head,” Karadec says, stepping inside the curtain. “They’re allowed to overreact.”

“He didn’t,” you reply. “I’m fine.”

Karadec looks at your face and then down your arms. You sport a few scrapes and a forming bruise or two, but otherwise, you look the same as you had at the station.

“Daph, give us a minute?” you request.

“Of course. Need anything?”

You shake your head, and she winks at you before she leaves. Morgan, Daphne, and Oz have known about your feelings for Karadec since you walked into the Major Crimes bullpen a few months ago to answer questions about a suspect you’d investigated before.

“Karadec, I’m okay,” you assure him.

“You shouldn’t have been put in a position to be injured,” he argues.

“Come here?” you ask, beckoning him closer.

He walks to the side of the hospital bed, and you push yourself to sit up before you drape your legs over the side. Karadec holds his hands toward you, ready to assist you.

“Can I please have a hug?” you request.

“Are you sure?” he checks.

You smile and nod, so Karadec leans forward, wrapping his arms lightly around your waist as you circle your arms over his shoulders.

“Thank you,” you say against his shoulder.

Karadec feels you relax, and he tightens his grip on you. You’re adjusting to touch – slowly, but it’s happening – and now you’re asking for it. He knew things were improving when he saw you comforting Ava earlier. Still, he didn’t expect you to initiate a hug this quickly.

“Only for you,” you say.

“Hmm?” he hums in question.

“You’re the only person I can touch without panicking,” you repeat. “For now, at least.”

Karadec pulls back to look at your face and brushes his finger over a scrape on your temple. “Then take whatever you want,” he offers.

A week after your unfortunate encounter with the safe crackers, you accompany Melon to arrest them and accidentally abandon your team in a time of need. Repentant, you get Karadec’s address from Soto and approach his apartment a few minutes before 11 p.m.

You hesitate before you knock on Karadec’s door. His late-night visits to check in on you seemed very out of character for him and still do, despite his explanation that he has been through what you’re struggling with and wants to help. You know he’s awake, but you won’t press him to talk or knock again, you decide. A minute passes, then two, and you shift on his doorstep as you prepare to leave.

“Hey,” Karadec says, pulling his door open.

“Hi,” you greet, wringing your fingers together. “I’m sorry for just showing up, but I heard about what happened with Oz. I should’ve been there.”

He shakes his head, dropping his eyes to your shoes. “None of us should have been there.”

“You got everyone home safe, though, Adam. That’s what matters.”

“I almost didn’t.”

“Daphne told me you saved his life. He’s still here, focus on that.”

Karadec shakes his head again, and you step into his door, raise your hands, and cup his face. “Don’t think about what could have happened. It’s a slippery slope.”

His hands find your waist, pulling you inside before he pushes the door closed behind you.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

“You told me to comfort someone. I told you that I didn’t mind when you touched me.”

You move your right hand to his neck, tipping his face toward yours.

“Stay here with me,” you plead. “You’ve been helping me since we met. Let me return the favor.”

“It wasn’t a favor,” he argues, shaking his head in your hold. “You don’t have to repay it.”

“Then let me stay, just because.”

“Why?”

Your hand slides off his jaw, surprised by his question, but he catches your wrist and uses it to pull you closer.

“Why do we pretend we can’t do this? You feel it, I know you do. But we circle around each other, terrified that we’ll bring out the worst in each other.”

“Maybe the worst is all we can see in ourselves.”

Karadec presses his lips together, and you don’t hesitate this time. No more pretending, giving yourself excuses, or finding reasons it won’t work. That you won’t work together.

You press your chest to his, angle your chin toward his face, and kiss him. He freezes, flexing his hands at your sides before he holds you like he never wants to let go. Karadec is the one source of touch you can never be scared of, grow tired of, get enough of, and as you move together, you begin to see the good. You can’t regrow the trauma from before now, even if you left, because Karadec is one of a kind. You’re where you belong.

“Still think I’m your therapist?” he mumbles when you pull back for a breath.

“My place?” Morgan asks the following morning.

You hug Morgan rather than answering. She pats your back awkwardly, then returns the affection.

“Thank you,” you say against her shoulder.

“Not necessary,” she replies.

“Why don’t we all go out to dinner?” Oz suggests.

“I’m in,” you agree, pulling away from Morgan. “We’re a family, right?”

“Well, that answers that question,” Daphne muses.

“What question?” Karadec asks, pulling his eyes from you.

“The will they portion of what I told you to avoid.”

“It took my nearly dying to get you two there?” Oz deadpans.

“Don’t say it like that,” Karadec chides.

“What are we talking about?” Soto inquires.

“Family dinner,” Morgan answers, laying her hand on your shoulder.

[tinydefector]

Hi, since the requests are open, could you write brainstorm x human or perceptor x human SFW/NSFW at your discretion. I just read your book "Human's effects" and I really liked the way you wrote brainstorm. Have a nice day.

Human effects 11 - Brainstorm

So I'll be doing more of these with characters, and if I have another part asked for Brainstorm on this series, it will be a smut piece.

Brainstorm x Human reader

Warnings: light lust mention

Word count: 2.7k

Masterlist

Brainstorm masterlist

Human effects masterlist

__________________

Brainstorm's optics focus on the data pad in his servos, a hum resonates from him along with a small chirp as he filters through the multiple different subjects he had been doing research on. His processor aches from the amount of engex he had consumed the cycle before while at swerves.  The seeker haphazardly pays attention as he walks down the hallway of the corridors of the ship toward the lab, his optics flicker when they lock on the one of  liaisons, very specifically the Ambassador that he along with many others from the night before hand had been ‘fantasises’ about. 

 

 He had so many questions he wanted to ask them in person about human biology but in honesty didn't know where to start, they were an organic species, bipedal mammals who in many aspects were very similar to Cybertronians. His optics linger on them, taking in their frame type, tone and all up rather visual appeal. He could understand why humans were so sought after on the black market, they were soft and rather plus from what he could observe. 

" heya stormy" they call out with a smile as they make their way over to him. Brainstorm jolts from his musings, systems heating with embarrassment at being caught distracted by his thoughts, his engine lets out a hitched whine as fans whirl. But their smile seems warm, non-judgmental, and he relaxes fractionally, they didn't have the ability to read his processor, he was fine he rationalised to himself. 

"Ah, greetings, Ambassador!” He attempts to mask the fluster that was creeping across his plating, wings twitching lightly. "Lovely sol to find you up and about, I wasn't expecting to see you down in the labs this Cycle." He pauses with a. Raised optic rid wondering why they were down their way, they normally didn't make it a habit to visit the scientist. 

“ picking up some equipment Nautica got for my team, she's been helping a lot with our long range transmitter and also with us getting supplies on Ultra Magnus' request” they hum while carrying a small crate. 

His field radiates enthusiasm, if they were down here at that moment perhaps they had some time to spare him for his own pursuit in knowledge.  "Might I beg for a moment of your time? As Cybertron's chief scientist, I was hoping to inquire about Human biology if you had the time. our records only have some much information on your people and i believe a lot of it is rather outdated, if you'd feel comfortable sharing it could offer insights aiding our alliance." He asked, it was worth a shot and if they Were to busy he could always ask one of the other humans.  

They give Brainstorm another sweet smile as they begin walking beside him towards his destination, they hike their crate of equipment highter as to keep grip on it. "Sure I'm happy to answer questions, it's not like I have much going on at the moment, last I heard Megatron and Mags have Rodimus doing my paperwork as punishment for trying to take Rikko Asteroid surfing.” they laugh as the words fall from their lips. Remembering the look on the speedster face when he had more reports dropped on him. 

“ but if we are gonna play twenty questions you better make it fun!" They tease in a singy song voice. Brainstorm's optical ridges curiously curiously beneath his faceplate at the human's playful jest. He lets out his own amused chuckle at the idea of Rodimus suffering even more paperwork, he didn't envy the Captain and even less so the aching processor he was most likely nursing after the drinks from the late cycle. 

"Scientific inquiry as a game, eh? Now there's an intriguing proposition!" His wings fluttered, promptly intrigued with the idea. Data collection through entertaining exchange sounded rather fun compared to the normal exchange he had with Perceptor. A mischievous lilt crept into his tone as he slowly matched their pace walking together his optics flicker down to them taking in just how small they were compared to him. They just met his knee plating joints. humansWeren't nearly as small as a lot of Cybertronians were lead to believe. He remembered the first time ever seeing them he was quite taken back over their size originally expecting them to fit into the pal of his servo. But seeing them in real life had made him realise a lot of what he believed or old records were rather incorrect over humans, and their biology. 

 "Very well. First question: what gives you energy - nutrient paste, energon, the taste of victory?" His visor gleamed roguishly the last question was more a tease but he found it amusing to watch their reaction. The liaison lets out a hearty laugh at the first question. " hahahah oh by the stars, you really don't get alot of human Visitors do you?. So most of what humans as a whole eat is a mix of meat, fruit and vegetables. We need a mixed diet due to being an omnivorous species, but it varies person to person" they explain, giving his leg a gentle nudge with their elbow. 

Brainstorm cycled his optics,parsing this new data on their nutritional requirements with keen interest, it also gave him more information to jot down later.but he is utterly fascinating that a species derived sustenance from multiple organic compounds rather than a single standardised fuel source. "Meat, fruits and vegetation, you say? Truly extraordinary." He made a note to research Earth's ecological climate zones and harvest periods, he was rather interested in seeing what earth produced, Earth had become one of the largest suppliers of energon when cybertron was being rebuilt as it was a common occurring element on earth, it became the main trade source between the two planets.

"What about cybertronians? Do you guys only consume Energon or do you have other things, i know earth supplies quite a lot of energon to cybertron but do you guys only consume it ?" As they returned the query, he waved a languid hand. "Energon in its various forms comprises the bulk of a Cybertronian's fuel intake, though rarely do we consume it in its raw state. Refining introduces necessary additive alloys and minerals to suit an individual's frametype and occupation. Medics also develop specialised fuel mixes for patients. But we do consume other elements, oils, metals and crystals are other necessary for different platingsor frame types " His wings fluttered in delight talking about the different compounds of energon and how it was used. He was no chemist but did enjoy dabbling in creating different flavoured energon.

 "Recreational enjoyment of other sustenance is not unheard of, however. Certain sensory-inducing additives have been experimented with at social gatherings, such as High grade, energex are a subcategory of energon which has a different effect on a processor compared to casual energon, med grade and such" he hums while explaining the different types of fuel, from the causal to the luxurious. 

“Ah so similar to Alcohol for humans, that's quite amusing actually and explains why Rodimus tends to look like he's hung over” they chuckles again remembering how dead on his feet he looked that morning when they had met for a meeting with the command.

“Oh I wasn't aware humans also had similar, but yes energex and high grade have a rather intoxicating effect and lossens intakes while in group gatherings.” He replies. As they make their way into the laboratory. Perceptor is off in the distance and shoots them both a look as Brainstorm slowly lifts them up onto the bench. Before continuing their conversation. 

“ you mentioned something about chemists, what do cybertronian chemists do?” The Ambassador asks while they place their crate down and begin engaging in conversation once again. Brainstorm felt Preceptor's optics tracking the pair curiously as he began another explanation. “Chemists tend to have a range of different fields, the easiest way for me to explain would be to say that Swerve is a Chemist” His optics shimmer in delight as they trade back Information with the human sitting on the bench. 

“I thought Swerve was a bartender?” They reply with a tilted head, their brows pinch in an almost adorable expression to Brainstorm. He has to keep his engine from making a whine at the adorable look. His EM field dances with interest for them. 

“Indeed, chemists work with making, distilling energon and other substances. So in one way Swerve is a chemist but so is Ratchet but they make very different products” He explains. 

“That's so cool, almost like being a human chemist, baker and bartender in one” they hum as they take in the new information they were learning. His optics linger on their hands for a moment before he decides to change the subject of fuel sources. 

"With your permission, I find human epidermal structures utterly absorbing," he began. "The intricate pigmentation patterns, tactile sensitivity... might I?" A single digit hovered millimetres above a forearm, awaiting the liaison's consent before even the faintest contact. It takes them a moment to register the terms from Brainstorm but once they realised he was asking to examine their arm. “Oh sure just wait a second” reply before rolling their sleeves up, hold their arm out to Brainstorm to look at. It catches Preceptor's attention as he raises an unamused optic at how brasin Brainstorm was being.

 "Also heads up you don't need to treat me like glass, humans are pretty resilient so you're not gonna hurt me by touching me unless you're actually trying" they inform. "My thanks for the clarification, as I explained earlier, a lot of our records on Humans is rather outdated, however I'd rather not cause you harm" he responded gently, servos dancing over their arm gently as he takes in the man different markings, patterns and colours that mark their skin. It's highly fascinating to him and he found another reason he believed humans were sought after. It wasn't a subject of cybertronian history he liked but he was interested in learning why humans were so sought after. Soft, pliable, small and would have mostly been very docile. It sent a rattle up his spinal struts as he tries to push the thought a side. 

A single digit traced the patterns of tactile receptors watching the way the little bumps spread across their skin in a visual response to his touch. "Fascinating... your epidermal sensory network far surpasses initial database entries. I've never seen such colours either its stunning" His field pulsed appreciative curiosity as he traced the lines and marking that look like they are hidden under the Ambassador's skin, it makes him wonder how far the marking go but decided it would be pushing it to try and see more, but he knows he will be fantasising about tracing the markings. 

From the corner, Perceptor cleared his vocalizer. "Yes, human biological studies hold fascinating merit. Brainstorm, do refrain from unnecessary experimentation." The other bots voice calls out as he shoots Brainstorm, another disapproving look. 

Brainstorm dips his helm respectfully as he pulls away lwtting the Liason pull their sleeve back down. "No disrespect intended, Perceptor. Merely exploratory observation. Scientific progress warrants cross-cultural exchange plus we need to also rework our old records on human functions, biology and culture." His visor brightened, dispite Preceptor's tone Brainstorm was thrilled with the new knowledge he had gathered just from this meeting.

"Oh don't worry Percy. I doubt Stormy brought me here to experiment on, plus he's curious. I can't say I'm not also curious about you guys either, Earth doesnt have alot of information on Cybertronians outside of the small stuff we had from when you guys were stuck on earth. So i'm happy trading information because we are both interested in learning about each other's people. " They shoot back at the other scientist. Preceptor's optic ridges pinched ever so slightly at the human's familiar tone, though he made no further protest. If they felt at ease with Brainstorm's studies, who was he to force caution upon willing participants? "See that your... observations proceed responsibly," he calls out, it's aimed at Brainstorm but the seeker does not fret too much. 

The two continue chatting between each other trading information with small jokes between them every now and then. The liaison kicks their legs back and forth on the table. It gives Brainstorm the opportunity to truly look at them and appreciate how soft they are, a lustful thought crossing his mind and EM field pulsing lightly which makes Perceptor snap his helm to look at them again. Perceptor narrowed his optics warily at Brainstorm. :. Brainstorm a word.: the other scientist states through comms which makes the seeker go ridged, wings flickering in discomfort. 

Clearing his vocalizer loudly, Perceptor took a deliberate step forward. "Perhaps we will catch you another Cycle Ambassador, Brainstorm and I have much work to attend to, and we wouldn't wish to keep you any longer" he interjected coolly. For his part, Brainstorm cycled a ventilation and reined in his field, hed just had Perceptor call him out on it and the embarrassment was showing with each flutter of his wings. 

The Liaison gives the two scientists a wave once they are set back on the ground. "Well I'll catch you both another time, I'm going to go talk with Swerve about energon, you have me rather intrigued to learn more " They call out lifting their crate back up while heading to the door. Once they had left the Lab it had Brainstorm shifted warily under the weight of Preceptor's dissecting gaze. 

"The human liaison has graciously undertaken representing their kind aboard an unknown vessel to foster cooperation between species. Jeopardising such an auspicious start through any misguided impulse would severely damage relations." 

Pausing his tasks, Perceptor affixed Brainstorm with a searching stare, optics bright with both caution and care for his foolish yet brilliant colleague. "I need not remind you of one of your talents, the fragility of organic creatures compared to our frames.”

Brainstorm shuffled awkwardly beneath the Preceptor's scrutinising gaze. His usually nimble processors faltered grasping a suitably cogent response, field radiating discomfort through scrambled modulations. How to explain such rash intrigues ebbing his usually steady rationale? "Ah...you raise entirely fair points, as always, Perceptor," he demurred, fidgeting with a gripper. "To be perfectly forthright - and at the risk of sounding like a sparkling with his first crush - there's simply something innately captivating about these diminutive humans! Their resilience, ingenuity, curiosity..." His plating flustered with static. 

"And I'll admit, it's not just my scholarly interest piqued. Even the most stoic among us seem charmed by our new small friends." He cycled stabilising ventilation. Wings fluttering weakly, Brainstorm inclined his helm. "Brainstorm pleas for the love of whatever deity you believe be it primus or else Do Not Frag the Ambassador!, they are one of our heads, they work closely with our captains and if you mess Slag up it will be your helm" Perceptor groans out as he pinches his nasal ridge.

Brainstorm's plating flared hotly at Preceptor's emphatic directive. "I - of course not, you must think me a complete naïve sparkling!" he sputtered, waving his gripper defensively. "Mere scholarly observation was my intent, nothing untoward, I assure you, yes I'm intrigued by Humanity and the liaison is rather charming I'm interested in the scientific study of humanity, to rewrite the small knowledge we have on them!"  

Venting sulkily, he leaned against the bench servos tapping into the metal. "Though I'll note, my interests seem far from singular. Last night's engex-fueled discussions had a few of us a little too invested in compatibility. All I'm saying is curiosity seems widespread! So while your cautions are well-founded..." His plating flustered again helplessly, wings fluttering as they would when he was interested in something. 

 "Brainstorm we are not doing this" Perceptor states as he turns away from his fellow scientists. "Wait just a klik, Percy - don't think I fail to spot tangled undercurrents in that rigid plating of yours," he pushed, emboldened by this newfound insight. Cycling closer, his field pulsed a teasing nudge against his colleague's. "For all your lofty speeches cautioning restraint... could it be you harbour doubts following your own advice?" He teases only to get a nasty glare from the other mech. but decides it's better to just ignore Brainstorm at that point. “you know Swerve has bets on you, says your a dark horse waiting for a chance to sweet the Ambassador off their Pedes” Brainstorm states trying to get a reaction out of Perceptor. It gets a wrench thrown at him. 

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[tttopoftheworld]

I often post about Palestine but I'd like to take a moment to talk about what's happening in Bangladesh.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON BANGLADESH

TL;DR Students killed for protesting the government's quota system. Students are being arrested and murdered for speaking up about their deceased friends. Everyone is being threatened by the government and many social media platforms are being banned.

All I'm asking is to spread the word. Please. International pressure really works for our nation. We're dying here. UNICEF reports 34 children dead. There might be more. All reblogs and likes and shares are appreciated. Thank you. I guess I'll see you tomorrow.

Past

A movement protesting the government's quota system put forth by the father of our nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This was placed in the first place to help the grandchildren of those who fought in the Liberation War of our country to get government jobs. We have a terrible job market here which is why many highly educated people leave the country. On 16th July, While protesting, a Student named Abu Sayed of Begum Rokeya University was killed by the police. This only stoked the feelings of injustice between the students.

During a press conference, the PM was asked about the quota for the grandchildren of veterans. Her response? "If we don't give jobs to the grandchildren of Veterans, will we give jobs to the grandchildren of Razakars?" Razakars are the people who collaborated with the Pakistani Forces to bring down the Bangladeshi freedom fighters. They betrayed the nation for their own gain.

Traitors.

Imagine calling the youth of your nation traitors.

Imagine calling almost 14 million young people who can't find a job despite their credentials betrayers.

Imagine cursing people who are protesting for job equality under a government with the all time highest corruption in the history of this nation.

On 17th July the broadband connection centre in Mohakhali was burned down. Mobile data services and communication were shut down by the PM. After 11 days the internet was properly restored.

On 19th July, A National Military Curfew was put in place by the Prime Minister to mitigate the unrest.

But that was last month. If you need details I highly recommend sources in Bangladesh like the Daily Star or reputable like Al Jazeera. The quota has since been lifted. Lives were lost. But it was for a good cause, right?

Right?

RIGHT?

Present

Well no. There's still a curfew in the capital. Several districts like Cumilla are still under attack. The government warns of not spreading misinformation yet still lie about the severity of the issue. The police are arresting those who protest as well as those who speak up. The students are demanding for the resignation of the PM. The PM obviously refuses to apologise or even acknowledge the deaths of some 147?

or is it 200?

They're not counting how many they're killing. They're not letting anyone else count either.

It is midnight here. This morning as in 4th August 2024, the students have called for a non cooperation movement. The Ruling Party Awami League will also be holding rallies across the nation tomorrow. I do not know what is going to happen to me. I do not want to think of what will happen to my family tomorrow. I don't really care. What I'm truly scared for is the future. As these protests do not end well here.

Future

Precedence says the PM will eventually resign. Every student protest of our nation has ended in momentary success.

Momentary

What comes after is usually a military regime. A caretaker government until a next government is chosen in a supposed election. Even then if they decide to hold an election. The caretaker government is usually run as a dictatorship. It was true for the 60s. It was true for the 90s. I don't doubt it will happen again.

I'm graduating next year. My niece is still new to the academic system. I wish her the best. My grandmas and grandpas are dead. Nobody left to pray for me. My aunts and uncles are growing old. My cousins can't speak up for fear. My mom is so tired. My dad is angry. I'm unsure if I will still be able to post the next couple of days.

All I'm asking is to spread the word. Please. International pressure really works for our nation. We're dying here. UNICEF reports 34 children dead. There might be more. All reblogs and likes and shares are appreciated. Thank you. I guess I'll see you tomorrow.

[therobotmonster]

There's a nuance to the Amazon AI checkout story that gets missed.

Because AI-assisted checkouts on its own isn't a bad thing:

This was a big story in 2022, about a bread-checkout system in Japan that turned out to be applicable in checking for cancer cells in sample slides.

But that bonus anti-cancer discovery isn't the subject here, the actual bread-checkout system is. That checkout system worked, because it wasn't designed with the intent of making the checkout cashier obsolete, rather, it was there to solve a real problem: it's hard to tell pastry apart at a glance, and the customers didn't like their bread with a plastic-wrapping and they didn't like the cashiers handling the bread to count loaves.

So they trained the system intentionally, under controlled circumstances, before testing and launching the tech. The robot does what it's good at, and it doesn't need to be omniscient because it's a tool, not a replacement worker.

Amazon, however, wanted to offload its training not just on an underpaid overseas staff, but on the customers themselves. And they wanted it out NOW so they could brag to shareholders about this new tech before the tech even worked. And they wanted it to replace a person, but not just the cashier. There were dreams of a world where you can't shoplift because you'd get billed anyway dancing in the investor's heads.

Only, it's one thing to make a robot that helps cooperative humans count bread, and it's another to try and make one that can thwart the ingenuity of hungry people.

The foreign workers performing the checkouts are actually supposed to be training the models. A lot of reports gloss over this in an effort to present the efforts as an outsourcing Mechanical Turk but that's really a side-effect. These models all work on datasets, and the only place you get a dataset of "this visual/sensor input=this purchase" is if someone is cataloging a dataset correlating the two...

Which Amazon could have done by simply putting the sensor system in place and correlating the purchase data from the cashiers with the sensor tracking of the customer. Just do that for as long as you need to build the dataset and test it by having it predict and compare in the background until you reach your preferred ratio. If it fails, you have a ton of market research data as a consolation prize.

But that could take months or years and you don't get to pump your stock until it works, and you don't get to outsource your cashiers while pretending you've made Westworld work.

This way, even though Amazon takes a little bit of a PR bloody nose, they still have the benefit of any stock increase this already produced, the shareholders got their dividends.

Which I suppose is a lot of words to say:

[linkyu]

tell me about your defense contract pleage

Oh boy!

To be fair, it's nothing grandiose, like, it wasn't about "a new missile blueprint" or whatever, but, just thinking about what it could have become? yeesh.

So, let's go.

For context, this is taking place in the early 2010s, where I was working as a dev and manager for a company that mostly did space stuff, but they had some defence and security contracts too.

One day we got a new contract though, which was... a weird one. It was state-auctioned, meaning that this was basically a homeland contract, but the main sponsor was Philip Morris. Yeah. The American cigarette company.

Why? Because the contract was essentially a crackdown on "illegal cigarette sales", but it was sold as a more general "war on drugs" contract.

For those unaware (because chances are, like me, you are a non-smoker), cigarette contraband is very much a thing. At the time, ~15% of cigarettes were sold illegally here (read: they were smuggled in and sold on the street).

And Phillip Morris wanted to stop that. After all, they're only a small company worth uhhh... oh JFC. Just a paltry 150 billion dollars. They need those extra dollars, you understand?

Anyway. So they sponsored a contract to the state, promising that "the technology used for this can be used to stop drug deals too". Also that "the state would benefit from the cigarettes part as well because smaller black market means more official sales means a higher tax revenue" (that has actually been proven true during the 2020 quarantine).

Anyway, here was the plan:

Phase 1 was to train a neural network and plug it in directly to the city's video-surveillance system, in order to detect illegal transactions as soon as they occur. Big brother who?

Phase 2 was to then track the people involved in said transaction throughout the city, based on their appearance and gait. You ever seen the Plainsight sheep counting video? Imagine something like this but with people. That data would then be relayed to police officers in the area.

So yeah, an automated CCTV-based tracking system. Because that's not setting a scary precedent.

So what do you do when you're in that position? Let me tell you. If you're thrust unknowingly, or against your will, into a project like this,

Note. The following is not a legal advice. In fact it's not even good advice. Do not attempt any of this unless you know you can't get caught, or that even if you are caught, the consequences are acceptable. Above all else, always have a backup plan if and when it backfires. Also don't do anything that can get you sued. Be reasonable.

Let me introduce you to the world of Corporate Sabotage! It's a funny form of striking, very effective in office environments.

Here's what I did:

First of all was the training data. We had extensive footage, but it needed to be marked manually for the training. Basically, just cropping the clips around the "transaction" and drawing some boxes on top of the "criminals". I was in charge of several batches of those. It helped that I was fast at it since I had video editing experience already. Well, let's just say that a good deal of those markings were... not very accurate.

Also, did you know that some video encodings are very slow to process by OpenCV, to the point of sometimes crashing? I'm sure the software is better at it nowadays though. So I did that to another portion of the data.

Unfortunately the training model itself was handled by a different company, so I couldn't do more about this.

Or could I?

I was the main person communicating with them, after all.

Enter: Miscommunication Master

In short (because this is already way too long), I became the most rigid person in the project. Like insisting on sharing the training data only on our own secure shared drive, which they didn't have access to yet. Or tracking down every single bug in the program and making weekly reports on those, which bogged down progress. Or asking for things to be done but without pointing at anyone in particular, so that no one actually did the thing. You know, classic manager incompetence. Except I couldn't be faulted, because after all, I was just "really serious about the security aspect of this project. And you don't want the state to learn that we've mishandled the data security of the project, do you, Jeff?"

A thousand little jabs like this, to slow down and delay the project.

At the end of it, after a full year on this project, we had.... a neural network full of false positives and a semi-working visualizer.

They said the project needed to be wrapped up in the next three months.

I said "damn, good luck with that! By the way my contract is up next month and I'm not renewing."

Last I heard, that city still doesn't have anything installed on their CCTV.

tl;dr: I used corporate sabotage to prevent automated surveillance to be implemented in a city--

hey hold on

wait

what

HEY ACTUALLY I DID SOME EXTRA RESEARCH TO SEE IF PHILLIP MORRIS TRIED THIS SHIT WITH ANOTHER COMPANY SINCE THEN AND WHAT THE FUCK

HUH??????

well what the fuck was all that even about then if they already own most of the black market???

[mariacallous]

It’s been 17 years since tainted blood thinner from China injured or killed hundreds of people in the United States, and since then, contaminants and other defects have appeared in a cross section of America’s generic drugs.

To understand how risky drugs could end up in our medicine cabinets, ProPublica spent more than a year investigating the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s oversight of foreign factories accused of violating critical quality standards. Reporters focused largely on factories in India, a key supplier of the world’s generic drugs.

The investigation exposed how the FDA, without warning the public, allowed more than 150 drugs or their ingredients into the United States over the past dozen years even though they were made at factories banned from shipping products here. The agency did not routinely test the drugs as they were circulating in the United States or actively track whether consumers had been harmed.

The FDA and several former agency officials told ProPublica they believed the medications that were exempted from import bans were safe. They said the agency required generic drugmakers to conduct additional quality checks before the drugs were sent to the United States, including extra drug-safety testing and bringing on third-party consultants to verify the results.

To conduct its analysis, Propublica used Redica Systems, a quality and regulatory intelligence company with a vast collection of agency documents, as well as the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, to find hundreds of “import alert” lists published by the FDA over more than 15 years. The lists identified factories barred from shipping drugs to the United States because the FDA found manufacturing violations.

In examining those lists, reporters discovered references to drugs or raw ingredients that the FDA had excluded from the bans. The exemptions were mentioned with almost no explanation, scattered throughout the often lengthy alerts.

Because the FDA does not keep a comprehensive list of drugs that have been exempted from bans over the years, ProPublica had to build one. Reporters employed two distinct methods to do this. First, ProPublica wrote code that used keyword search and pattern matching to pull drug names and manufacturing locations from the FDA alerts. Second, ProPublica used artificial intelligence to extract the same information. Results from each analysis were cross-checked, and reporters verified each of the results.

In finalizing its analysis, ProPublica counted all drugs that were exempted from each banned factory. Sometimes, the same drug was exempted from multiple factories and was added to each factory’s total. In a handful of cases, the FDA exempted different formulations of the same drug, such as a tablet, capsule or injectable. ProPublica counted those different forms as distinct drugs.

ProPublica’s list of drugs exempted from import bans could be an undercount; there is no way to know for sure without a full accounting from the FDA.

[paigelts05]

Th353u5 and the Appraiser [FNAF, Renegade AU]

Published: Dec 22, 2024

Artwork: https://www.deviantart.com/paigelts05/art/1139778192 AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61762993/chapters/157894480

The Renegade AU reboots the Fazbear Frights and Tales from the Pizzaplex books so that they fit into this AU's timeline whilst also following my primary theories on the material.

TFTP gets a more heavy reboot and follows the TalesVRWorld theory, putting those events into a VR environment due to 1 - how a lot of it is incompatible with how the rest of my AU runs due to my more compact timeframe, and 2 - I personally believe that TalesVRWorld is more likely than talesgames. The Renegade AU also uses the FrightsSlander theory, and that gets elaborated on quite a bit here.

The TalesVRWorld theory stipulates that the TFTPP stories are in a VR environment that is run by Fazbear Entertainment. This system is likely linked to both the MOE system and VANNI network.

The Renegade AU  follows a diegetic TalesVRWorld+FrightsSlander combination where the events of TFTPP are literally lab reports turned into marketable stories. The real megaplex is far too underfunded for even a quarter of anything in these books, and a 3D model costs infinitely less than a building, let's just say.

Also, following FrightsSlander, the regular Fazbears Frights books exist in universe too and are Faz Ent's attempts to slander many of its victims, painting the victims as the bad guys; not everyone depicted was as bad or did half the stuff Faz Ent claims they did.

Frights = slandering Faz Ent's real world victims. Tales = cover-up stories for experiments in the VR environment.

This Renegade series starts with Frailty.

More specifically, the events in the real world that lead up to Faz Ent publishing a specific incident from their VR environment that they could have just as easily swept under the rug.

Faz Ent had made a digital clone of Sarah using the remnant from her original body. Faz Ent also gave this virtual clone the fashion sense and post-incident personality of Millie. This virtual clone was then put into Faz Ent's VR environment and put through the same 'experiment' that Eleanor Talbert had put Sarah through.

Whilst Faz Ent was preparing this experiment to be run in the VR environment, people were moving on with their lives in the real world.

In the aftermath of the half-truths that Faz Ent had chronicled and published in 'To Be Beautiful' and 'Count The Ways', Millie and Sarah had begun to repair their reputations.

Sarah, whilst scrap metal, has come to terms with her new form and has mastered it. She feels like parts of herself are missing, but she feels like that's normal given her situation. And Millie had also survived her own ordeal, losing a hand in keeping her life, and also finding love from someone in the 'normie' crowd, branding her as a hypocrite in the public eye, but never regretting surviving.

The only thing that Faz Ent had left at their disposal to hurt Sarah and Millie was this digital clone that lived in the virtual world. So Faz Ent published that experiment report in hopes that it'd further damage the girls reputations again, but the fate of Sarah's remnant fuelled virtual clone, the aftermath of Faz Ent's publication of the experiment, and the reconciliation between the girl and her virtual clone will be for another day.

Note: ghost induced paranoia, ghost induced chronic pain, and other ghost induced medical conditions mentioned in this story (and others) are legitimate medical conditions in the world of the Renegade AU. It's just that there are only two or three psychologists and doctors worldwide who will diagnose someone with a ghost induced variant of a condition. So due to not being in contact with anyone who  would diagnose them, the characters in this story only have a half understanding of thier conditions, and that understanding is 'a ghost is making me experience this physical/mental condition to an amplified degree'.

=°•.🌹 Story 🌹.•°=

°°•°°•°°•°°•°°•°°•🌹•°°•°°•°°•°°•°°•°°

"Teen survives getting hit by a car unscathed after pushing a child out of the vehicles path," a newscaster said with no particular emotion, "gets up, and walks away. Onlookers said she momentarily looked like a pile of scrap metal-"

Millie Fitzsimmons, Antiques appraiser, turned down the volume on the television that sat mounted up on the wall in view of the main desk as she heard the bell on the door to her antiques and thrift shop ring.

"Care to explain why you're on the news again?" Millie huffed as her metal prosthetic hand drummed on her desk. "You know Faz Ent has already dragged our names through the mud."

"Not my fault people don't notice me. It was a zebra crossing! And they'd have hit the kid if I didn't dive in the way," Sarah rationalised as she set her arm - or more accurately the scrap metal that represented it - back into place, "besides, nobody was hurt in the end. And after that dead girl's family sued the pants off of Faz Ent for depicting their dead daughter's ghost like that, it's not like they'll drag ME through the mud using my real name again."

"But the whole town now has a hunch that you're not human." Millie pinched the bridge of her nose in sheer bewilderment. "That is bad."

"Yeah… But do you have any scrap?" Quick to change the subject, Sarah shifted the topic to why she came in through the front door instead of chilling in the back, "I kinda lost some in the crash and other parts got broken, so I need some replacements. Any scrap will do."

"You left proof that you're not human. At the scene." Millie replied, dumbfounded and concerned.

"Not the first time."

With a disappointed huff, Millie stood up and walked out from behind her desk, black and purple dress swishing, almost brushing the floor, as she walked. "I've got some old crap that would have gotten tossed out otherwise." She came to a halt near Sarah and sized up what scrap she'd need. "It's in the back. I have a box with what you need."

"Cool." Sarah smiled as she followed Millie into the familiar back of the shop. This place was like Sarah's second home. After all, when your secondary education is interrupted by a robot replacing every part of you with scrap, people don't seem to want to hire you as an adult, so it's hard to find a place to stay, so why not bum off your goth girlfriend's hospitality.

"The only reason I keep all this scrap and don't melt it down myself is because I know you'll need it," Millie said as she scoured the shelves for the scrap box, mumbling about how she should probably label the boxes better.

"Awwww, that's so sweet!" Sarah smiled as Millie located the box and placed it on the floor.

"Take whatever you need," the gothic appraiser stated before she stood back as Sarah rummaged through the scrap box, swapping and changing metal parts, tossing broken bits out of herself, and rearanging components.

As Sarah set her shoulder back in, the conversation shifted from scrap metal to the ornate canister that contained a seemingly ordinary plastic ball pit ball.

"What's that?" Sarah asked, pointing at the canister, readjusting the scrap in her hands as she did so.

"My ball." Millie replied. She thought that she'd had it hidden under her desk, but she'd accidentally left it in the open.

Sarah looked at Millie as if she had two heads, so she knew she had some explaining to do.

"You know how sometimes I get phantom pains and seem to have a split personality? It used to be worse. This ball contained the side of me that died in Funtime Freddy's stomach hatch that day. According to this detective and ghost duo, L and J… or something, a robot named Eleanor bound the souls of her victims to these balls. It was no wonder I was drawn to the ball pit. I managed to reunite my physical body and the dead half of my soul, and found myself able to now see which balls belonged to who." Millie looked over at the boxes on the shelves and the other canisters she had made. "Honestly they were surprised to see me alive. Then again, the detective ALSO shouldn't have been alive, so the first five minutes of explaining what happened was just two should-be-dead's staring at eachother. He hooked me up with a line to the station, and I wound up being in on something that wasn't actually over my head."

"So why do you have the others?" Sarah asked.

"Well, the detective must have relayed our entire conversation back to the station, as the police paid my store a little visit. They wanted my help," Millie smiled, "Being a victim of one of those incidents that was tied to the ball pit, and being one of the few people able to see what's inside each orb, and all that. During our conversations, one of the other victims walked in, unsure of why they came into this store but they just had a feeling like they should be here right now."

"Ooo, spooky!"

"Quite," Millie continued with a smirk, "Well, when they stepped through the door, the orb linked to them started to glow, so I handed it to them, and basically, the energy from the ball transferred back into them, like the energy from mine transferred back into me. The police figured that leaving the balls with me was the best way of getting them to the right place, as people are more likely to walk into an antiques store than a police station. But they do regularly visit to make sure things are going well."

"So, that's what this is," Millie said as she patted the top of the ornate looking canister, "a part of my soul. I've made canisters for many of the other balls based on what I've seen within them. It makes them easier to sort."

"Do you have any kind of plan on getting them back to their owners?" Sarah asked, noting that there were more balls than she could probably count.

"I don't really have a plan outside of my overarching objective. I just hope that they stumble into my shop. That's my plan for how I will find who these orbs belong to. If they are alive like me, they may finally feel whole again. If not, it goes to thier next of kin, and searching for next of kin is a police matter." Millie turned around to take inventory of some old Fazbear Entertainment merchandise that sat nearby, "But it's not all waiting and seeing. To find these people I make them find me instead. I collect legacy Freddy's hardware in hopes it'll draw in those I seek. It had already worked for some, but some of the balls are yet to be ID'd. Some are only able to be ID'd when the person or thier next of kin walks in. Some even glow with the hardware, like the freaky clown or the little Freddy doll… now seeing a sapient Freddy doll touch the orb, go limp, then less than an hour later seeing a panicking young man and his younger sibling run in and learning that the elder sibling had been body swapped with the doll and had been swapped back after the doll touched the orb… That's something you don't forget."

"What about the clown?" Sarah asked as she pointed to a photograph of a clown animatronic. She assumed this was the freaky clown Millie had mentioned, but wanted to see if she was right.

Millie went silent and shifted her gaze away from Sarah. "It went to his next of kin."

Realising that the clown was probably linked to a tragedy Millie didn't want to speak of, she didn't press any further and awkwardly looked away. A bright flash quickly caught her gaze, and it was coming from the box of unidentified balls.

"Millie, look!" She exclaimed, pointing at the box.

Millie's jaw dropped and instantly, she rushed over to the box and procured the one glowing orb that was in a case made up of mechanical parts.

"This one hasn't been fully ID'd, but I now think it's yours."

As she carried the case to Sarah, the orb glowed brighter, plastering the shadows of the case's frame as pitch black streaks across the room, leaving what was not cast in shadow to be engulfed in gold.

After taking the orb out of the casing, the only darkness in the room was cast by the shadows of the two women.

Millie held out the orb, and Sarah held out her hands so that the orb could be handed to her.

With the orb now in Sarah's hands, Millie placed her own hands around Sarah's so she wouldn't drop it, and slowly, the light from the orb dimmed as the energy contained within returned to Sarah.

Once the light faded, the ball returned to its normal plastic form.

"All I could gather from this one was a vague sense of machines and a want to be cute and not get picked on. Odd how it hasn't reacted until now." Millie said as Sarah stared at the plastic ball.

"Honestly, I'm both surprised and not that I have an orb." As she spoke, she subconsciously brought the orb to her chest, and the mechanical parts that made up her torso pulled the orb in, "It's just weird to think that I'd been missing that big of a part of myself."

Before she was entirely sure what was happening, scrap metal begun falling to the floor.

Before Millie coule begin to panic, she heard Sarah talking to herself.

"Don't need that, move that there, and done!"

The back room was in silence as around Sarah lay a pile of scrap up to her ankles, yet she looked the same.

"What … Happened?" Millie asked.

"Oh! After absorbing the orb, the scrap that makes up my body begun to move around. At first I was a bit worried, but then I realised what was happening: I'm able to maintain my form more efficiently now! So my body was just ejecting any parts that were too rusty or otherwise too broken or just not needed." Sarah looked around at the pile of scrap whilst stretching her arms. She sounded a lot less rusty than before. "Some of the ejected parts are still good though, so I'd keep hold of them. And what's odd about it not reacting until now anyway…. I still feel like something is missing though, like there's still a part of me out there somewhere that doesn't know I exist out here."

"You're just here so often I thought it would have reacted by now," Millie replied as she picked up and sorted the shed scrap into 'keep' and 'broken beyond salvage', "Then again, a pair of my regular customers - a father and son who come here for the cheap thrifted goods - came into the store the other day, and the father started having a migraine. At that moment, the orb that I could only identify as a normal domestic family who were somehow linked to the ball pit the orbs came from directly, started to glow. It was only then when I was certain that the pit orb was his. You see, whilst I can see into these, faces are impossible to distinguish, so ultimately, 'does it light' is the only real means of being certain on whose is whose, and the orb doesn't always belong to the involved party that you'd think it would."

"So who do you think the dog ball belongs to?" Sarah said as she looked at the orbs that were sitting on the shelf, sorted and in what she presumed were appropriate containers.

"I had to do some digging, but I found the names of the involved parties. Greg, and a girl whose family requested anonymity from this whole tragedy."

"Greg?" Sarah questioned, "Gregory sr? The comatose man with the dog bites? Didn't he have a kid about a decade ago? How old is that ball?"

"Yes, it is indeed that Greg: the comatose man with the dog bites." Millie replied with an objective tone, "It was the only one I could get a certain ID on due to the dog animatronic. Managing to ID this orb was very important, as whilst Greg grew up, he's almost thirty now and has a ten year old son, the shard in the ball is still 16 years old in a world that'll forever be 2007. And given that nobody has come forward and Gregory jr is currently missing, we are hoping that this orb may draw in the child."

Sarah was rather perplexed.

"Why would it draw in Gregory jr?" She asked, "Gregory jr wasn't born until like, so many years after the incident that made this ball."

Millie nodded. After all, why would it? The facts were simple: 1 - the dog ball was among the oldest, alongside the underground guard ball and the original balls tied to the mass murderer at the Freddy's location that once surounded the pit, and 2 - it was not confirmed which of the two were actually in the ball: Greg or The Girl?

And if it is a part of Greg, how do you even get something like this through customs?

"We don't know, but it's a long shot. There are only three options: it reacts to Greg, his son, or The Girl"

"What if it's The Girl?" Sarah questioned, "and how will you know it's them if they requested anonymity?"

"The orb will go to her family. And just because they wanted to remain anonymous doesn't mean I don't know them; they just don't want thier name tied to this incident," Millie said as she examined the orb as if it'd yield more answers that it had thus far, "Usually, when the one with a part of their soul stolen is dead, we'll want to reunite it with the family, as the rest of thier ghost usually lingers around there."

Before the conversation could continue, Millie heard the door bell ring: she had a customer. "So let's deal with this later, ok?"

At the front desk, Millie and Sarah watched as a duo of regular customers walked in: a pair of rookie film directors. One average height and slightly athletic, the other tall and lean. She mentally went over her stores incident procedures, as it was always best to be on the ball in the event of a customer experiencing a paranoia induced panic attack or collapsing from chronic pain, which these two often did to the point where it was practically routine.

"Looking for anything specific, directors?" Millie asked, knowing that those two usually look around for things that would make good props. Whilst a normal antiquarian would likely be adverse to such shoppers, her store was as much a thrift and Fazbear's junk store as it was standard antiques. Though Fazbear Entertainment stuff from the Fredbear era still counted as antiques.

"Nothing really. Just browsing, seeing if inspiration will hit," and hit was probably an ironic word as the taller directors words were cut short by him collapsing to the ground, hissing in pain.

The shorter director stared at the taller one, saying nothing. And it was clear why: the shorter director was shaking, his breathing patterns were abnormal, and he looked as if he too would soon wind up a heap on the floor.

As the shorter directed started screaming about a blackbird, Millie realised that she'd have to remedy the situation fast. She knew what he was screaming about: she had saw the newspapers, read about the taller director going missing on the train tracks, the feathers that were found, and how the taller director then was found injured but alive in a ditch a few days later.

He had also disclosed his hallucinations in passing.

She had also read the scathing and inaccurate hit-piece Faz Ent put out afterwards, even though that company didn't seem to be involved with the situation at all. The fact they tried to cover it up at all was suspicious.

Millie didn't know how, but she had a gut feeling that Eleanor was behind this too; she had to be if Faz Ent got involved in a situation where they could have had plausible deniability. But gut feelings only got you so far: she knew that a pair of aspiring directors were some of the victims with shards of themselves trapped in the balls, but without a positive ID from the orb itself, all it was was a gut feeling that maybe this duo and the duo from orb were the same, even if every other detail lined up. As she tried to manage the situation, micromanaging trying to ascertain as to where the taller one kept his medication whilst trying to mentally ground the other, Sarah stared off into the back storage room.

"I think one of the balls is glowing."

"What?" Millie exclaimed before turning around to see that indeed, one of the balls was glowing. And it was the one in the casing themed after film production. The one she had suspected to be theirs the whole time.

And that was the true positive ID she needed.

"Just stay put, ok?" She said before rushing into the back of the shop, picking up the ball, and rushing back, glowing case in hand.

"Ok," she sat in front of the two directors and opened the casing, "if you can, extend a hand."

Both of them obliged, albeit shaking. With too much practice behind her, Millie placed the glowing orb in the taller man's hand, and placed the other man's hand on top. She kept her hands around thiers for the sole purpose of ensuring that they wouldn't drop it - she didn't want to know what would happen if they did and it wasn't worth chancing it.

Nobody was certain if seconds or minutes had passed until the ball finally stopped glowing.

"It looks like it was equally both of yours. That may pose a logistical issue," Millie mumbled as she let go of the men's hands, and as predicted, thier grip on the ball pit ball immediately failed, so she simply put the ball back in its case. "Does anything feel different?"

"Well, I'm slightly less in pain than before. This would be the first time the medication has actually worked." The taller director said.

"And I don't know what you did, but it really helped ground me, thanks." The shorter one added.

They didn't have a clue, did they.

"Maybe that you now have the part of your souls back that Eleanor stole, you'll find that you're a lot more… 'normal'? That's probably the wrong word. The pain you feel is no longer unnaturally amplified by her, which is what she was doing to mine suffering, after all. It's somewhat like how before the balls were brought into my shop, I was an emotionless husk with non-stop phantom pains."

"And that's different to how you act now in what way?" The shorter director chuckled in a way where it was obvious he was trying to diffuse some kind of tension in the air.

The reply made Millie laugh, but she remained serious, "I had a whole half of my soul ripped out and that half believed that I bled to death. If anything I've just exchanged lacking half of my emotions for constant nightmares. But it's better than being dubbed a medical anomaly, having lost too much blood yet still living. Taking his hand to replace the one he took was all the revenge I could get," She glared at her prosthetic hand with a bitter mix of rage and regret; it was clear that her prosthetic was made from funtime Freddy's hand, "but enough about me. Let's get back on topic: you two."

"Wait… So you think the pain was being amped up by Eleanor?" The taller director asked, "And that's why my medication wasn't working before?"

"Effectively, yes. You had ghost induced variants of your conditions. That's the short version of it, unless you want me to go into detail and explain how that detective fellow found out about Eleanor and how she was using the suffering of us and the parts of us she stole to power herself," Millie replied, "You mentioned a while ago that your doctor said that scans showed that your pain should just be in your leg and not all over, and that your medication should work but just doesn't, am I correct?"

"Yes…" The director replied, "But they just waved me off with some medication after I told them that it wasn't just in my leg."

"Well, whilst I too don't trust doctors for… obvious reasons," Millie waved her prosthetic hand as she spoke, "Where is your pain?"

"My… Leg!" The tall director smilled and appeared to be incredibly excited about this, "the pain is just in my leg! I can finally look into getting treatment for it again…" His voice mellowed out a little, "I had given up after the first few checkups… Nobody knew what was wrong, and nobody except us really seemed to care. So I just gave up after they kept on just giving me medication and sending me away with a 'come back in a month'. But now I might actually get answers… But the damage is probably done by now and I'll probably be limping forever more, but better late than never."

"Honestly the extra beta waves should have given it away, but regardless," Millie sighed, paused, then smiled, "whatever she was doing to you won't be happening anymore. Though you might want to mention the phrase 'ghost induced chronic pain' if you want to get anyone to apologize for not taking your ghost induced chronic pain seriously."

"It's odd though, isn't it," the shorter director said, "I thought it would have just been him if either of us, seeing as before this I thought it was just the dead ones or almost dead ones who wound up linked to those balls."

Millie shook her head, "whilst a correlation, it's not entirely true. Some of the first people to come here were just as alive as you two, and another had been a victim of a digital consciousness transfer. All those linked to either Eleanor or the ball pit itself, dead or alive, were effected and have a fragment of themselves tied to one of those damn plastic things. It may take a while to ensure everyone gets back what was taken from them, but at least we're doing something to reverse some of the damage. Shame I can't say the same about our reputations… I still get called a shallow bitch in public, but that detective guy who dropped off these balls apparently knows a guy who knows a journalist. Maybe we should try and give Faz Ent a taste of their own medicine."

°°•°°•°°•°°•°°•°°•🌹•°°•°°•°°•°°•°°•°°

[charlesrich]

Digital Malcolm X: By Any Means Digital

“We want freedom by any means necessary. We want justice by any means necessary. We want equality by any means necessary.” Malcolm X spoke those words in 1964, but their power echoes louder than ever in the digital age. I’m not here to start a revolution with fists or fire. My revolution is online — one blog post, one resource, one connection at a time. I’m here for the ex-con hustling for a second chance, the single mother stretching every dollar of government aid, and the homeless man staring down another night on the street, wondering if tomorrow will be any different. This is for everyone the system forgot, everyone who’s been told to wait their turn, everyone who’s been handed scraps and told to be grateful.

Building Bridges, Not Walls

By any means digital, I’m building bridges where society put up walls. I remember what it’s like to have doors slammed in your face, to fill out job applications knowing your record will haunt you, to feel invisible in a world that only sees your mistakes.

I see you, ex-con, fighting to prove you’re more than your past. I see you, single mother, juggling bills, work, and the hope your kids might have it better. I see you, brother on the corner, down but not out, carrying dreams nobody else bothers to ask about. The digital world is the new frontier, and it doesn’t care where you started. It cares what you can create, how hard you hustle, and how loud you’re willing to shout for your place at the table.

Hope in Action: The Digital Comeback

I’ve watched people flip their lives with nothing but a smartphone and stubborn hope. I’ve seen single moms retrain in digital marketing and pull their families out of poverty. I’ve seen ex-cons launch businesses, mentor others, and build legacies from the ashes of their old lives. I’ve seen men who slept in shelters become digital entrepreneurs, using every free resource the internet could offer until they could stand on their own.

That’s the spirit of “by any means necessary” — not just fighting for yourself, but reaching back for the next person in line.

Take It. Build It. Connect.

Nobody’s going to hand us freedom, justice, or dignity. Like Malcolm X said, “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.” In this era, we take it by learning digital skills, building online businesses, connecting with supportive communities, and refusing to be left behind. We use every tool, every platform, every ounce of grit we have. We help each other — because no algorithm, no government check, no charity will ever replace the power of a community that refuses to give up.

Your Call to Arms: Rise Together

So to the ex-con, the single mother, the homeless man, and anyone who’s been counted out: this is your call to arms. By any means digital, we claim our place. We build our future. We rise — together.

CharlesRICH: Reporting live from struggle and hope digitally.

Related Resources for Empowerment:

Defy Ventures: Entrepreneurship for Formerly Incarcerated

Single Mothers Outreach

Code for America: Tech Solutions for Social Good

If this spoke to you, share it. The digital world is waiting — it’s time to take what’s yours. And if you need a boost, drop a comment or reach out. Let’s rise together.

If this spoke to you, share it. The digital world is waiting — it’s time to take what’s

[wuxiaphoenix]

After-Action Report

Well. That was... distinctly underwhelming.

Long story short, I have a feeling somewhat like getting an invitation to “show up in your best to represent Fantasy!” And turning up in a Shen Qingqiu cosplay. To find everyone else wearing white tie.

I mean, nobody was rude (almost nobody was rude), but they apparently didn’t know what to do with me.

I didn’t have hopes of wild sales-

(Well, actually, I hoped I’d sell everything and not have to carry anything home. I just didn’t expect that.)

-But one book? I... am apparently not in the right market, here.

So. What I saw of other authors and artists.

There was one therapist with a self-help book who spent all the time on her phone. A painter who also did beaded necklaces. A maker of handmade bookbags who also hand-binds blank books for sketches and journaling.

(I took a wistful look - but I know what kind of abuse I put my book-carrying bags through, and those were not going to cut it.)

A ceramic artist who also worked with oyster shell and drops of resin “water”. A jewelry artist in dichroic glass. And two mystery writers, one of whom had also written a couple of local biographies, the other a fantasy cookbook, neither of whom seemed to have a firm hand on covers or formatting. I mean, a picture of a dune at sunset, while nice, does not exactly say “murder mystery” and a compass on a map is definitely not what I’d pick for a cookbook. And font style changes from one chapter to the next... moving on.

Mine was not the most elaborate table; the mystery writer with cookbook had a cloth cover with a blurb and a web address on the front. But I think I looked reasonably professional.

Over the course of the day I got about three polite “oh, just looking,” a few more who passed by and said they had lovely covers, and one jerk who wanted the books for free because they were in a library. I told him he could borrow ones already in the library system. Oy.

The library provided some sandwiches and drinks. I abstained, allergies, but my roommate who covered the table while I grabbed my own lunch at least got a free lunch out of it.

I think this event could have been planned better. Of course, no one could have counted on rain and later thunderstorms; that definitely cut down on how many people hit the library on a Friday. But just about anyone could have predicted that an event just before Mother’s Day might not get the attention it would on a non-holiday weekend.

And it wasn’t well advertised; my roommate saw a flyer in the library itself or I’d never have known it was happening. And the way they set it up with tables scattered across three separate rooms, one of them a little study room tucked away behind everything - it wasn’t foot traffic or vendor friendly.

...And when I say “not well advertised” I mean the vast majority of the people who did show up at the library were obviously and often obnoxiously bewildered about What the Heck was going on.

(At least once stronger language was used than that. One guy wanted a table to work on his computer when the artists and authors had most of them... let’s just say he soured the atmosphere enough that the painter, who was nearest to him, gave up and left a little after 1 PM. At which point he took her table... and then moved to a smaller table that had had no artists at it an hour later.)

One of the things that got to me was trying to circulate and exchange a few words with the other authors... and the two who’d even talk to me said, individually, that of course they didn’t write for money....

What. Why. I mean, yes, even if I weren’t getting paid, I’d still write, my brain’s broken that way. But I sure as heck wouldn’t go to the time and expense and sheer unmitigated frustration of formatting, getting a book cover, dealing with the Library of Congress, etc., etc., argh.

I would love to be in a financial situation where I didn’t have to get paid. Who wouldn’t? But darn right I do it for money. As well as fun. And indulging all the Mad Wizard cackling and suspicious homicides that’d get you in so much trouble in real life.

Well. Chalking this up to market research. Obviously, wherever the market is, it wasn’t there.

I did get a couple more pages of Tactical written. Now that’ll be tricky to get a cover for, when I get that far. A western fantasy-style ranger and a Chinese beauty with supernatural white hair... and I need to get more setting details in my head, to figure out what’d be a good background!

[digitaldetoxworld]

Data Analysis: Turning Information into Insight

 In nowadays’s digital age, statistics has come to be a vital asset for businesses, researchers, governments, and people alike. However, raw facts on its personal holds little value till it's far interpreted and understood. This is wherein records evaluation comes into play. Data analysis is the systematic manner of inspecting, cleansing, remodeling, and modeling facts with the objective of coming across beneficial information, drawing conclusions, and helping selection-making.

What Is Data Analysis In Research 

What is Data Analysis?

At its middle, records analysis includes extracting meaningful insights from datasets. These datasets can variety from small and based spreadsheets to large and unstructured facts lakes. The primary aim is to make sense of data to reply questions, resolve issues, or become aware of traits and styles that are not without delay apparent.

Data evaluation is used in truely every enterprise—from healthcare and finance to marketing and education. It enables groups to make proof-based choices, improve operational efficiency, and advantage aggressive advantages.

Types of Data Analysis

There are several kinds of information evaluation, every serving a completely unique purpose:

1. Descriptive Analysis

Descriptive analysis answers the question: “What happened?” It summarizes raw facts into digestible codecs like averages, probabilities, or counts. For instance, a store might analyze last month’s sales to decide which merchandise achieved satisfactory.

2. Diagnostic Analysis

This form of evaluation explores the reasons behind beyond outcomes. It answers: “Why did it occur?” For example, if a agency sees a surprising drop in internet site visitors, diagnostic evaluation can assist pinpoint whether or not it changed into because of a technical problem, adjustments in search engine marketing rating, or competitor movements.

3. Predictive Analysis

Predictive analysis makes use of historical information to forecast destiny consequences. It solutions: “What is probable to occur?” This includes statistical models and system getting to know algorithms to pick out styles and expect destiny trends, such as customer churn or product demand.

4. Prescriptive Analysis

Prescriptive analysis provides recommendations primarily based on facts. It solutions: “What have to we do?” This is the maximum advanced type of analysis and often combines insights from predictive analysis with optimization and simulation techniques to manual selection-making.

The Data Analysis Process

The technique of information analysis commonly follows those steps:

1. Define the Objective

Before diving into statistics, it’s essential to without a doubt recognize the question or trouble at hand. A well-defined goal guides the entire analysis and ensures that efforts are aligned with the preferred outcome.

2. Collect Data

Data can come from numerous sources which includes databases, surveys, sensors, APIs, or social media. It’s important to make certain that the records is relevant, timely, and of sufficient high-quality.

3. Clean and Prepare Data

Raw information is regularly messy—it may comprise missing values, duplicates, inconsistencies, or mistakes. Data cleansing involves addressing these problems. Preparation may include formatting, normalization, or growing new variables.

Four. Analyze the Data

Tools like Excel, SQL, Python, R, or specialized software consisting of Tableau, Power BI, and SAS are typically used.

5. Interpret Results

Analysis isn't pretty much numbers; it’s about meaning. Interpreting effects involves drawing conclusions, explaining findings, and linking insights lower back to the authentic goal.

6. Communicate Findings

Insights have to be communicated effectively to stakeholders. Visualization tools including charts, graphs, dashboards, and reports play a vital position in telling the story behind the statistics.

7. Make Decisions and Take Action

The last aim of statistics analysis is to tell selections. Whether it’s optimizing a advertising marketing campaign, improving customer support, or refining a product, actionable insights flip data into real-global effects.

Tools and Technologies for Data Analysis

A big selection of gear is available for facts analysis, each suited to distinct tasks and talent levels:

Excel: Great for small datasets and short analysis. Offers capabilities, pivot tables, and charts.

Python: Powerful for complicated facts manipulation and modeling. Popular libraries consist of Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib, and Scikit-learn.

R: A statistical programming language extensively used for statistical analysis and statistics visualization.

SQL: Essential for querying and handling information saved in relational databases.

Tableau & Power BI: User-friendly enterprise intelligence equipment that flip facts into interactive visualizations and dashboards.

Healthcare: Analyzing affected person statistics to enhance treatment plans, predict outbreaks, and control resources.

Finance: Detecting fraud, coping with threat, and guiding investment techniques.

Retail: Personalizing advertising campaigns, managing inventory, and optimizing pricing.

Sports: Enhancing performance through participant records and game analysis.

Public Policy: Informing choices on schooling, transportation, and financial improvement.

Challenges in Data Analysis

Data Quality: Incomplete, old, or incorrect information can lead to deceptive conclusions.

Data Privacy: Handling sensitive records requires strict adherence to privacy guidelines like GDPR.

Skill Gaps: There's a developing demand for skilled information analysts who can interpret complicated facts sets.

Integration: Combining facts from disparate resources may be technically hard.

Bias and Misinterpretation: Poorly designed analysis can introduce bias or lead to wrong assumptions.

The Future of Data Analysis

As facts keeps to grow exponentially, the sector of facts analysis is evolving rapidly. Emerging developments include:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning: Automating evaluation and producing predictive fashions at scale.

Real-Time Analytics: Enabling decisions based totally on live data streams for faster reaction.

Data Democratization: Making records handy and understandable to everybody in an business enterprise

[talenlee]

Game Pile: Most of the Quest for Glory Franchise (1-4) (Video)

Quest For Glory 1-4 And Dirty Cole Prodcts

Watch this video on YouTube

Thumbnail and script below the fold!

Any story of our history, any attempt to tell someone a narrative from the beginning to the end, is always telling a lie. The lie is one of omission, the lie that this story has a beginning, and an end.

For example, the story I want to tell you today is a story about games I played growing up. It’s also the story of game engines. At the same time it’s kind of the story of a genre that reaches from Zork through to Disco Elysium. It’s also a story about me, a person who has been playing and replaying these games for thirty years and the people who chose to make them.

Let’s talk about game engines.

In the DOS era, the PC was a platform for text. It had a keyboard natively, it had a system way to recognise what text was, and thanks to that, if you wanted to play a game that was primarily text, you played it on a PC. Consoles could make a heroic effort of drop-down-menu selection but the games where you typed in specific commands, chosen scene to scene, moment to moment? That was the domain of the PC.

The first great age of the PC text adventure started with the Infocom-based games, starting with Zork. Zork and all of its compatriots under Infocom’s auspice were made with the ZIL engine. ZIL engine games included games like Planetfall and Infidel, which I’ve already spoken about in the past. They did a lot, they could do a lot, once you got past the fact that they couldn’t do much but text responses to text questions. The whole genre was thrown down the stairs collectively by the release of Kings Quest 1, by the at-time nascent company Sierra.

Kings Quest 1 was released on the AGI engine, which stood for Adventure Game Interpreter. From 1984 to 1989, Sierra established a number of game franchises through the AGI engine games, King’s Quest, Space Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, Police Quest, and some miscellaneous crap like Manhunter. Don’t worry about Manhunter, it’s quite rubbish.

The sucessor to the AGI was the Sierra Creative Interpreter, which went through two distinct different modes. The first engine was a text parser based game that ran on EGA graphics, and it was displaced by a VGA mouse-and-icons input system. The SCI was the engine that Sierra used for over a hundred releases, if you count demos and rerelease versions, and it was used in this form, from 1988 to 1997, or about nine years. This also covers the time, more or less between the company’s going going public (based on the success of the AGI games) and their disastrous acquisition by the CUC group.

It stood for Comp-U-Card.

The CUC group convincved Ken Williams to sign on their company with his wife Roberta Williams shortly before being found out in a false accountancy scandal that meant they’d been over-reporting their income by half a billion dollars a year. This scandal broke and dropped their stock price from $40 to $20 in one day, then $9 shortly after. This representation from the CUC group about the implied value to their relationship went quite extravagently wrong and resulted in CUC – which had just bought Sierra! – having to pay out over 2.5 billion dollars in class action lawsuits. Oh and this is also after lying to Sierra about actually, how they totally had their friends Lucasarts and Broaderbund involved.

This history is itself fascinating and I promise I don’t just talk about 1990s videogame companies when there’s a truly disastrous outing on the stock market but it is a fun coincidence that it’s happened twice.

It’s interesting to me because it’s a way in which the story of Sierra Online is this dreadful tale of a company and the movements of the greater tech bubble, which is itself this endlessly deceitful web of inflated fantasised value and all of that is the greater context in which the most important part of Sierra’s influence on my life which reached from the ages of about seven to the age of fifteen.

See, while I liked plenty of games that Sierra released during this period, there were four, in particular, that I loved, united across one game engine, one sliver of time, and it was the Quest For Glory series.

Spoiler warning ahead for, like, all of these games!

Quest For Glory I

Our story begins in 1989’s Quest For Glory I, formerly Hero’s Quest obligatory trivia note. It’s set in…

And I suppose this is where we need to address the idea of tone. Because on the one hand, Quest for Glory is a narrative about a lone adventurer, seeking something to do with their life, travelling to a remote valley that’s in the thrall of terrible problems, like a grieving baron who has lost both his children, a son and a daughter, and who is being tormented by an evil ogre, an organised thieves’ guild robbing people in the city, a hard winter, brigands robbing people who travel through the valley, and a forest full of monsters that kill and eat people. And on the other hand it’s a game where your first encounter is with a Sheriff and his best friend Otto Von Goon, you fight the three Stooges, almost everyone who can have a pun in their name has a pun in their name, and to finish the game you have to dance with faeries that will make fun of you for it.

The game is a pastiche of European/Russian folklore, primarily European, with dryads, ogres, kobolds and fairies. Everyone is white, even the hyperbolic foreigner Abdulla Doo, and while the game is cut deep with a sense of humour that runs towards cornball puns including the classic Sierra many-deaths-of-you death messages, it tries amongst this to write characters with as wide a variety of tones and personalities as they could manage with the game’s limited text-only interface. There is a real attempt to make characters varying degrees of sympathetic and dangerous – some very affable bad people, some very cranky good people, and even some ambiguous people! The game has a morality system of sorts that’s based on tangible cause and effect. If you break into people’s houses and steal from them, they will be more paranoid. If you kill an optional (but very hard) opponent, his friends will grieve him.

See, Quest for Glory is a fairly conventional adventurous D&D-style setting story, as run by a Dungeon Master who can’t help but make a joke out of everything perhaps as a pre-emptive defense against being too sincere. Which is a pretty reasonable thing and I think informs the whole vibe of the entire game franchise, where a story ostensibly of serious pieces also wants to take a break to make sure you’re very aware the person running the game has watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail too many times.

Unlike prior outings from Sierra, you choose and create your character at the start of the game, picking a class and skills that change how the game world treats you. The skill system does something comparatively neat (and honestly, best in a computer game instead of a tabletop one), where to improve on any skill that you have points in, you have to just do it, at least until you’re doing something you consider trivial. Climb more, you get better at climbing. Throw more rocks, you get better at throwing. Fight, you get better at fighting. Amplifying your skills is therefore a task of finding the things you can do with them that’s still a challenge, and this can encourage you to build all sorts of skills over time.

Except stealth it’s a bit rubbish in this game.

What the game did that few videogames had done up to that point was scale up and express a world. If you started the game anew and went to a new location you hadn’t been to before, you could memorise that information and its location and it would be the same when you played otherwise. The game had a complex enough world that there was a feeling of a persistent world with things in it that happened regardless of if you were there or not. Other games of the genre let you roam through spaces pretty freely, but few gave you a place with dynamic, changing threats and things to do while you sought the way to finish the game. There are multiple endings to the game, depending on how thoroughly you pursue all the possible quest threads, and there are multiple routes to get to those endings. Finally, when you’ve solved the problems in the little valley of Spielburg, you then are whisked away on a carpet, and given the option of saving your character, so that same character can move on to the next game!

I think I was six when I received this game on ten 5.25-inch floppy disks, and the idea of clearing out about six megabytes of storage space on my dad’s computer so I could play it was an enormous ask. I would run the game off the disks – crossing into a new area, being told by the game insert disk 3 – and not have room to save anything on the disks that were full of game-ness.

I think more than any other videogame I’d played to this point, Quest For Glory consumed my imagination with possibility. I know now, looking at the game, how limited it is – the text parser is a bit of a joke, and there are numerous areas created just to make the forest feel larger than it is. There are dead ends and ways to lose the game without ever finding out how to win, and the combat system is terrible, where you either completely obliterate your opponents or you are smeared to the floor as a thin paste. Despite all these things, though, even now as an adult, I’m still surprised to find – or rediscover! – things the original game still could do, or at least let you try.

I remember this game keenly because it gave me a panic attack as a child, in a time in my life when I was an extremely strange little kid in a weird little cult. In the world of Quest for Glory there was the dead enchantress Erana, and you learn of her story bit by bit. I wound up being so affected by the story that I sobbed with grief over her — affecting me so deeply, emotionally, that I was convinced that it had to have a demonic influence in it.

I was convinced I was being possessed by a videogame.

I still can remember how, with shaking hands, I formatted every one of those disks, after telling my mother about my plan to do so. I destroyed a Christmas present to assuage my guilt at experiencing art – and then I spent the next ten years of my life invariably recovering and playing those games again.

Quest For Glory 2

After Quest For Glory 1 promised more, well, I wanted more. That worked out well for Sierra, though, because the game was great, with personality and charm and other words that reviewers like to inflate like they have inherent meaning. From time to time I’ll complain about sequel releases in games, and time to time I reflect and realise that I’m usually comparing them to the changes I saw between Quest for Glory 1 and 2.

First things first, the game is better looking. Using the same small resources of an EGA graphics adaptor with SIXTEEN COLOURS, Quest For Glory 2 puts less effort into map areas that are just transitional. You will walk through a lot of twisty mazelike passages that look all alike, and the desert map sections are four repeated frames endlessly. On the other hand, the hero looks quite a bit better, and can do more, treating the world more like it’s again, alive. The game’s systems are improved in ways that just speak to more effort being put in. Like the player can differentiate between telling someone something and asking them something. Sneaking cares about how much you sneak, not how many screens you sneak between, and the introduction of mouse aiming for spells and daggers allowed for some remarkably clever puzzles – such as showing you the difference between hitting someone’s chest with a thrown dagger, or hitting their leg. It became even more evident in the mage’s puzzles, where you could do cute things like ricochet shots off ice to knock it apart.

In Quest for Glory 2, the people of Shapier brought you from Spielburg to help address problems in Shapier. Of course, while you do solve them, it does serve a comical loop that you, hero, are responsible for one of the worst things that can happen to the world. Still, you arrive in Shapier, you fight a bunch of elementals that attack the city, and you do such a good job you’re thrown to the sister city of Rasier that is, just coincidentally, an anagram of Sierra, and fight back against a police state and only just a tiny bit risk destroying the world because you’re easily mind controlled.

None of the game was emergent – it was just an intricate and thoroughly constructed sequence of possible permutations. If you wanted, you could max out your skills and go out into the desert to hunt jackals and scorpions, could build up a huge reputation with the vendors in town, could buy everyone’s miscellaneous guff, earn the class distinctions that belonged to other classes, arm-wrestle a misogynist, burgle houses, consult an astrologer to hear about almost every major NPC, cuddle a tree, and almost none of it was essential.

The plot is also a nice progression that most sequels don’t do. In Quest For Glory 1, you saved a barony, a village and a castle. You were dealing with bandits thanks to a capricious and meanspirited supernatural power – but you didn’t confront her yourself. In Quest For Glory 2, you’re trying to save a city, then another city, then the rulers of those cities. In Quest For Glory 1, you’re afraid of fighting bandits en masse. In Quest for Glory 2, you crush bandits, without even trying. Sure, it’s a joke, but it still shows growth.

I can remember this game as a sort of unicorn for me. I wasn’t a very resoureful child at the time – my chances to obtain software were limited to my interactions with my friends who had computers of their own, which was typically a small handful of school friends – who also had church-operating fathers – and my cousin. My cousin was how I obtained Quest For Glory I – it was a Christmas gift. That began a small obssession for me – he had the sequel, but not when I visited him. He had a faster turnover of games – he could afford to delete games when he was bored of them, and disks were more valuable than the stuff stored on them.

Also, I understand he has a Youtube channel these days. Hullo, Grae, I thought those Homelander gifs you made on imgur were very impressive and your Deviantart photogrpahy is really good. Yes, this is the extent of my ability to reach out, yes, I am deeply emotionally damaged, did you miss that I was formatting disks earlier in this script because a videogame made me feel something?

What made Quest for Glory 2 most remarkable to me is that I played it after I’d played all the other games. Because I got a copy when it was on the bargain pile at the Gamesmen, as a rare gift from my dad, purchased for no particular reason and given just as an act of kindness.

Hard to think about that story any other way, really.

But anyway, that meant I played Quest for Glory 2 well after I’d played…

Quest for Glory 3

Here, the engine jumps, from SCI-0, to the new and improved, 256-colour, point-and-clicky interface of SCI-1. Quest for Glory 3 is set in the African inspired region of Tarna and its surrounding Simbani savannahs. You arrive to a city teetering on the precipice of… War? Kinda?

Kinda.

Look: There’s a weakness in Quest for Glory 3. The game was ostensibly made to buy time for the proper sequel to Quest for Glory 2, and to space out the story so that the game didn’t just go ‘goodbye forever,’ with its villain, then ‘hello again’ immediately afterwards. Spoilers for Quest for Glory 4 I suppose.

Point is that Quest for Glory 3 feels like a game that’s kind of mostly done, mostly there. Still lots of fun and imaginative ideas, but if you didn’t know the game was called Wages of War it might be a bit challenging to realise it was supposedly about a war that you were averting. Its villain pops out at the last minute, its free-roaming areas make the world feel more sparse rather than more interesting, and its story has this whole weird subplot about buying a girl but it’s okay, because she’s into it at some point. Combat is low-contact and awkward, to allow users to use their mouse instead of the keyboard, but the system is un-tuned and messy. You can spam attacks or hit them in a more patient form and they don’t seem to make any difference. You burn stamina to attack, but you still need to attack a certain number of times to win, which means you might as well burn your stamina fast. Magic doesn’t seem to have much impact, so broadly speaking the best strategy I found was to amp your stats with mundane practice and just rely on pills to restore your stamina.

Heroes do drugs.

The music is lovely, the graphics are pretty good, and… and…

sigh…

Poor Quest For Glory 3. Nobody ever really wanted you.

If you played to the end of Quest For Glory 2, you were treated to a stylish little animation at the end of your hero staring out at the wild sands of Rasier, where the moon turned red and you were told that the story was going to continue in, dun dun dun, Shadows of Darkness. Then it didn’t. It continued in Wages of War, which came out of nowhere and expanded the stories of Rakeesh the Lionaur and Uhura the warrior.

It’s not a bad game. It really isn’t. It’s just lesser. In previous games, you’d often meet a person before they became important, there’d be some greater context to them. You’d meet them, then they’d be involved in doing something. Also, there were opportunities for the classes to differentiate themselves, while the greatest distinction here in Quest For Glory 3 was Paladin or Not Paladin. There’s a very clear hierarchy in Quest For Glory 3. Paladins get the most and most interesting stuff, since they have to introduce all your abilities. Magic users and Fighters get a nice little segment dedicated to them, and thieves…

It seems reasonable given that Quest For Glory 1 and Quest For Glory 2 featured extensive sections where the thief could leap ahead of the game’s economy and do things like live on a potion drip or run around with an armoury in his pockets, but in Quest For Glory 3, thieves have a surprisingly limited range of options for thiefy things to do. You have access to ropes as a new puzzle avenue, but there are only two locations I can remember where being a thief is meaningful compared to being anyone else. You can pickpocket off a drummer and you can commiserate with another thief, but that’s pretty much it. Compared to the elaborate fighter/paladin path’s obstacle courses, it seems honestly a bit rude.

Maybe I’m just sore about that. I always loved to play the thief, because even more than the mage, they felt like they were the clever character. The thief flirted with Dinarzad and overcame elementals with clever tricks, and danced circles around Khaveen – rather than spending time fighting directly. Even the two thief opportunities you have are basically identical.

The edges of greatness are here. The use of romance – and its rejection – is interesting. The character of the storyteller brings the thief’s motivations into question. The honour system has a direct, tangible effect on the game, even if it is incredibly easy to cheat it. The use of a huge map with small key locations on it was interesting even if it fell flat. Mages received the first outline of the whole ‘staff’ mechanic. Fighters were given something more expansive than the Eternal Order of Fighters with its near-binary ‘be a dick/don’t be a dick’ choice. It even had a fun little cinematic moment where a fight was interrupted thanks to an earlier choice!

What’s really surprising in hindsight is how much Quest For Glory 3 tries to tell a big story. It has at its conclusion, a genuine Big Damn Heroes moment where characters from all throughout the story, and from different cultures, come together to fight for you, and it’s honestly rad as all hell. It’s little touches, like the way the painted backgrounds don’t have doors and how static the city feels compared to Shapier. It’s the way you can’t compare how much you hated Ad Avis to how much you hated The Demon Wizard (who if he’s ever named, I don’t remember it). It’s the way the bazaar’s denizens all represent puzzle piece retrieval places, and that’s it.

I remember enjoying this game, but no matter how much I loved it, I only like it when I’m done playing.

Quest For Glory 4

Quest For Glory 4 is a remarkable improvement over Wages Of War. While Wages of War was uncertain about how they wanted to use their engine, with its point-and-click movement, Quest For Glory 4 is much more confident. The windows port of it is a little shaky, but hey, it was 1994 and Windows 3.1 wasn’t exactly a renowned game platform. The combat system is a bit weird – I remember being quite good at it, but anything you practice for a hundred hours probably becomes easier. It was a stranger attempt to make combat more arcade – and it even included an AI version that could fight for you, if you were all thumbs. Other than that, the game’s core is more or less the same. Items, skills, pointing, clicking, solving puzzles, balancing the resources of your stamina and time, sleeping and eating and stabbing things – there isn’t anything here you haven’t seen already.

The game still has stats that determine how well you do at things, and if you’re weird and obsessive you can drag all those numbers up to a very sassy 400. There is some incentive to do so, if you like numbers that are larger than other numbers, and some point in the game, you will notice a tangible difference when you start random fights in the wilds to collect coins and miscellaneous junk, but you don’t have to do that. You don’t have to try and do everything in this creepy little valley of Slavic horror.

Quest For Glory 4 also abandoned Quest For Glory 3’s world map, and returns to a screen-by-screen small valley just like Quest For Glory 1. I preferred this, especially when they made sure that there were fewer ‘empty’ screens – more than a few areas had something in them, whether that was a hawk or a particular random encounter or a goddamned grieving ghost of a lost woman, pining for her husband who had never stopped missing her.

Oh yeah, the big change from the previous games is that Quest For Glory 4 is fucking dark.

It plays with the same goofiness of the earlier games, of course. There’s a mad scientist trying to bring a woman made of vegetables to life, like Frankenstein. There’s a gravedigger who makes amazingly bad puns. There’s a talking bush. There’s also John Rhys Davies, as the narrator, going for full Hammer Horror style histrionic when the narration comes to a tense head.

It’s also a game with suicide, sacrifice, and a dreadful hybrid of Lovecraftian horror and the Slavic myth of Chernobog. It was designed around a made-up Lovecraftian horror monster called Avoozl. I don’t think I can tell you what Avoozl was, to me. Oh, sure, I can tell you he’s a big bad horrible thing, an evil so dreadful nobody wanted to use his name until it was necessary for puzzles. That’s just description, a pile of words thrown over a shape. Avoozl was something more and more dreadful, to me.

When I played Quest For Glory 4 for the first time, I was still a Christian. I was still a Christian who believed in a very fundamentalist, very literal and controlling fashion of the faith. I was a Christian who genuinely believed that as a fifteen year old virgin, I had committed acts of adultery by looking at women on magazine covers. I believed in a literal devil and demonic possession. I believed that Satan took control of media in the world to convince people of ideas that would make us easier to control. This had happened to me once before – after a nightmare inspired by the first game, I was convinced that there was something wrong with the game, and I had to ‘purge’ the disks, wiping them all, one by one, ritualistically.

I had read my Bible enough, however, to know that the book hinted in some terrible places about the other gods.

I very, very seriously thought Avoozl might exist.

I know, it’s ridiculous! Laugh at me if you want, but this was the perspective I had! And in this game, I was being given a glimpse of, of, of a world with more gods. Of a world where a Christian warrior was not opposing ideals and cusswords, but was taking up an arm against something so much worse. When this topic breached the surface, when Avoozl flashed his fins, unnamed and terrible, I was suddenly galvanised. This world was full of demons, ghosts, the dead, horror and fear.

It was so realistic.

These days it’s reasonably safe to admit you crush on a videogame character. There’s a subculture that talk about it. Even people who are proud of it. There’s fanfiction and there’s fanart and it’s all just acceptable. I had no culture like that, back then. I also didn’t have any friends, let alone friends I was attracted to, with whom I could stiltingly start those emotional experiments I imagined I’d have called ‘going steady.’ No, I was an isolated young man to whom videogames were an effort at socialisation.

Now, Quest For Glory 4 was not written for the sweaty pocket-mining department of gamers, per se, but it did have some raunchy stuff in it. A rusalka was designed to look beautiful, so she could horrify you and disgust you when she started to rot. A servant girl was obviously beautiful so she could startle you with her ‘unveiled’ appearance. These things stuck with me. I remember the shame and guilt I felt when I met the rusalka, as if my dad would burst through a wall and see what I was doing (which he never did). This is why I wound up rearranging my bedroom so much – to create illusions of space and safety, to put my back to a wall when I was using my computer, to hide the screen from anyone who simply entered the room.

That prurience, however, underpinned another element of my experience with the game, though. Katrina. Katrina is a character who guides you out of the swamp, teaches you spells, expresses concern for your wellbeing, listens to you, flirts with you a little, and is gone, poof, so regularly. Remember, this is pre-GameFAQs and such. If Katrina showed up at some point in the game thanks to a trigger, I didn’t know what that trigger was. I only knew that she was there, and I wanted to talk to her and I loved hearing from her. I kept thinking that I would eventually learn more about her, that she would stop evading questions and talk to me about who she was, about what she wanted.

See, Katrina is the evil vampire lord that rules the valley.

It’s not subtle, you probably worked it out the first time you spoke to her in the middle of the swamp by the big deadly monster cave face.

Me, I was crushed.

She was the one who oversaw Ad Avis in Shapier.

She was the one who stole a child for her own selfish want for family.

She was the darkness that claimed the sky of Mordavia.

As quickly as I realised I had a crush on Katrina, I realised I couldn’t do anything about her. Evil walked the land and it had in its fist my heart.

What followed then – in the game, mind you – was a story about a hero saving a town, and thanks to that, the world. It was a greater scale than the previous games, yes, but only because the threat to this town was something that would also completely consume and ruin the world. Recurring throughout the story, though, was the strange theme of sacrifice. Strange because to me, the meme was that sacrifice was our ideal. It was what we, Christians, did. Greater love hath no man than this, we were told.

Then I watched as an old man died to give his wife peace.

I watched a monster surrender its life to save a child.

I watched the worst person in the world give her life to save mine.

I think this was a game that introduced into my young mind a level of complexity that nothing else I was able to experience did. With Katrina’s bubbling sexuality, with the sadness of the ghosts Niklai and Anna, with a story about suicide and death and vengeance from beyond the grave, with the repeated theme of people giving up their lives for others… I was horrified to think at the time that this game, this marvelous, wonderful, intense game, was the work of Satan. It could not be. It could not be, that this game that tried to say that a monster was a moral person underneath and that morality meant they were capable of making moral choices that were necessary to be a monster in the first place, that you could leave behind something that you would never enjoy if it benefitted others, that this, these ideas could be the result of sin and manipulation.

No.

No, this was a noble game. This was a game that told a story about an evil thing that couldn’t exist, and a dark, horrible place full of fear that showed the world the way I thought the world actually was and how in that place, people found peace. Some people fought for it. Some people killed for it. Some people died for it. Some people died for other people’s.

Erana gave her life for the world.

Toby gave his life for Anna.

Katrina gave her life for me.

I remember shutting the game down that first time. I remember walking away, going down into our back garden, down by the little brickwork barbecue and the piles of red leaves and flowers, and finding a place where I knew my parents wouldn’t look for me. I remember sitting with my arms holding my legs and my head on my knees, and crying. I remember crying for Katrina, I remember crying for that act. She was bad. She was a vampire, she wanted to take over the world, she had lied to me, she had manipulated me, she had used the fact I thought she was beautiful against me.

And my heart ached knowing that in that time and place, with that one moment, she still gave up her life for me.

It’s such juvenile, mawkish bullshit now. If you look back at it and read it now, it even tells you ‘you realise that she loved you.’ It’s not good writing. You finish this scene by telling a dirty joke then immediately chatting up another woman. I am sure that I can take this game to a dozen people I know and respect and they will tell me why it is god-awful.

It can’t change that this game broke my heart, and broke me.

Man, being a teenager is hard. Be nice to them, it can’t have gotten easier.

Lumps of Cole

Shadows of Darkness is to my mind the ‘last’ Quest For Glory game. By the time the fifth game, Dragon Fire came out, my world and outlook had changed, and I simply did not know the game existed. Plus, going back and trying to play it, it controls like ass and looks like bums, and for some reason I guess I just see a 256 colour pixel-art display as superior to a 3d engine.

Something I love about the Quest for Glory games, though, and something that I find that even modern games with similar directors can struggle with, is having a consistent voice and worldview. The Quest for Glory world is one where an individual can do good by doing the right thing, where small acts of kindness are worth doing, and cynicism doesn’t reward anything.

It’s strange to consider, but these games are an example of auteur media of the time. Oh, sure, they were produced by a major company, but that company was, itself, like, twenty people, and it was when they went properly corporate that everything slithered down the tubes fast. Sierra was a corporation egg, cracked and scrambled all at once, but the making of Quest for Glory was a task that seemed to be left to the wife-husband pair, or husband-wife pair I suppose, of Lori-Ann and Corey Cole.

This is a game franchise that crackles with a spcific perspective, a single particular way of telling jokes and way of telling stories. The dialogue and characterisation is this mix of time and place, and it’s not really like anything else that Sierra was doing. It is their work, informed by how they wanted to make the games. And they were the kinds of people who were… like I said, dungeon masters who wanted to tell a serious story, but couldn’t resist telling a joke along the way, at every single opportunity.

And the Coles?

They kept making games.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[shantitechnology]

Boosting Efficiency:  The Role of ERP Software in Modern Manufacturing Operations

In today's fast-paced manufacturing landscape, efficiency is not just a desirable trait; it's a necessity.  To stay competitive and meet the demands of the market, manufacturers must streamline their processes, optimize resource utilization, and enhance decision-making capabilities.  This is where Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software steps in as a game-changer.  In this article, we'll delve into the pivotal role of ERP systems in revolutionizing manufacturing operations, particularly in India's thriving industrial sector.

Understanding ERP for Manufacturing Industry

ERP systems for manufacturing are comprehensive software solutions designed to integrate and automate core business processes such as production planning, inventory management, supply chain logistics, financial management, and human resources.  By consolidating data and operations into a unified platform, ERP empowers manufacturers with real-time insights, facilitates collaboration across departments, and enables informed decision-making.

Streamlining Operations with ERP Solutions

In the dynamic environment of manufacturing, where every minute counts, efficiency gains translate directly into cost savings and competitive advantages.  ERP software for manufacturing offers a multitude of features that streamline operations and drive efficiency:

1.   Enhanced Production Planning:  ERP systems enable manufacturers to create accurate production schedules based on demand forecasts, resource availability, and production capacity.  By optimizing production timelines and minimizing idle time, manufacturers can fulfill orders promptly and reduce lead times.

2.   Inventory Management:  Efficient inventory management is crucial for balancing supply and demand while minimizing holding costs.  ERP software provides real-time visibility into inventory levels, automates reorder points, and facilitates inventory optimization to prevent stockouts and overstock situations.

3.   Supply Chain Optimization:  ERP solutions for manufacturing integrate supply chain processes from procurement to distribution, enabling seamless coordination with suppliers and distributors.  By optimizing procurement cycles, minimizing transportation costs, and reducing lead times, manufacturers can enhance supply chain resilience and responsiveness.

4.   Quality Control:  Maintaining product quality is paramount in manufacturing to uphold brand reputation and customer satisfaction.  ERP systems offer quality management modules that streamline inspection processes, track product defects, and facilitate corrective actions to ensure adherence to quality standards.

5.   Financial Management:  Effective financial management is essential for sustaining manufacturing operations and driving profitability.  ERP software provides robust accounting modules that automate financial transactions, streamline budgeting and forecasting, and generate comprehensive financial reports for informed decision-making.

6.   Human Resource Management:  People are the cornerstone of manufacturing operations, and managing workforce efficiently is critical for productivity and employee satisfaction.  ERP systems for manufacturing include HR modules that automate payroll processing, manage employee records, and facilitate workforce planning to align staffing levels with production demands.

The Advantages of ERP for Manufacturing Companies in India

India's manufacturing sector is undergoing rapid transformation, fueled by factors such as government initiatives like "Make in India," technological advancements, and globalization.  In this dynamic landscape, ERP software plays a pivotal role in empowering manufacturing companies to thrive and remain competitive:

1.   Scalability:  ERP solutions for manufacturing are scalable, making them suitable for companies of all sizes – from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to large conglomerates.  Whether a company is expanding its operations or diversifying its product portfolio, ERP systems can adapt to evolving business needs and support growth.

2.   Compliance:  Regulatory compliance is a significant concern for manufacturing companies in India, given the complex regulatory environment.  ERP software incorporates compliance features that ensure adherence to industry regulations, tax laws, and reporting requirements, minimizing the risk of non-compliance penalties.

3.   Localization:  ERP vendors catering to the Indian manufacturing sector offer localized solutions tailored to the unique requirements of the Indian market.  From multi-currency support to GST compliance features, these ERP systems are equipped with functionalities that address the specific challenges faced by Indian manufacturers.

4.   Cost Efficiency:  Implementing ERP software for manufacturing entails upfront investment, but the long-term benefits far outweigh the costs.  By streamlining processes, optimizing resource utilization, and reducing operational inefficiencies, ERP systems drive cost savings and improve overall profitability.

5.   Competitive Edge:  In a fiercely competitive market, manufacturing companies in India must differentiate themselves through operational excellence and agility.  ERP software equips companies with the tools and insights needed to outperform competitors, adapt to market dynamics, and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Choosing the Right ERP Software for Manufacturing

Selecting the right ERP solution is crucial for maximizing the benefits and ensuring a smooth implementation process.  When evaluating ERP software for manufacturing, companies should consider the following factors:

1.   Industry-specific functionality:  Choose an ERP system that offers industry-specific features and functionalities tailored to the unique requirements of manufacturing operations.

2.   Scalability and flexibility:  Ensure that the ERP software can scale with your business and accommodate future growth and expansion.

3.   Ease of integration:  Look for ERP systems that seamlessly integrate with existing software applications, such as CRM systems, MES solutions, and IoT devices, to create a cohesive technology ecosystem.

4.   User-friendliness:  A user-friendly interface and intuitive navigation are essential for ensuring widespread adoption and maximizing user productivity.

5.   Vendor support and expertise:  Select a reputable ERP vendor with a proven track record of success in the manufacturing industry and robust customer support services.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ERP software has emerged as a cornerstone of modern manufacturing operations, empowering companies to enhance efficiency, drive growth, and maintain a competitive edge in the global market.  For manufacturing companies in India, where agility, scalability, and compliance are paramount, implementing the right ERP solution can be a transformative investment that paves the way for sustainable success.  By harnessing the power of ERP, manufacturers can optimize processes, streamline operations, and unlock new opportunities for innovation and growth in the dynamic landscape of the manufacturing industry.

[newstfionline]

Saturday, December 21, 2024

Government funding bill clears Congress and heads to President Biden, averting a shutdown (AP) Facing a government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year. The House approved Johnson’s new bill overwhelmingly, 366-34. The Senate worked into the night to pass it, 85-11, just after the deadline. At midnight, the White House said it had ceased shutdown preparations. President Joe Biden was expected to sign the measure into law Saturday.

In Utah, Jesus Models Are in Demand (WSJ) Utah is seeing a brisk business for models who have long hair and a beard who can passably pull off a Jesus look for family portraits and wedding announcements for couples that want to feature the religious figure directly in their pictures. Models charge about $100 to $200 an hour and, with the right look, can retain a reliable side hustle as the physical manifestation of Jesus in someone else’s pictures. Look-alikes find that people expect them to embody Jesus in more ways than the hair and beard. Some models said they feel like a celebrity when they don the robe—and get treated like one too. (One felt compelled to remind an onlooker he wasn’t the real Jesus.) Others said they’ve had their own semireligious experiences on the job.

More Tornadoes (NYT) In April of this year, there were over 400 tornadoes reported in the United States, the single highest count in 10 years. Through the month of November there were more than 1,762 tornadoes nationwide, the highest ever, significantly more than the 1,517 tornadoes in 2019 and vastly higher than the 886 tornadoes logged 10 years ago.

Stranded in Mexico: Trump’s Looming Crackdown Scares Migrants (Bloomberg) Outside a center for migrants in the city of Villahermosa in southern Mexico, dozens of Venezuelans, Colombians and others from all over the world were stuck with nowhere to go. Mexican authorities had apprehended them mostly in the north of the country and bused them here, far from their intended destination: the US border, a 17-hour drive away. The roundup is part of Mexico’s immigration crackdown, done partly at the behest of the US government. It’s helped drastically reduce crossings, but created significant hardship for those making the journey, who face difficulty finding a place to sleep, much less employment. With no documents allowing them to work legally in Mexico and nowhere to stay, they’re left impoverished and at risk of falling prey to criminals. Interviews in Mexico at shelters, makeshift camps and on the streets indicate many migrants plan to stay put for the time being as they seek appointments to ask for asylum, a system critics say is being abused by those seeking economic opportunity. Other migrants say that Trump’s vows to carry out the largest deportation in US history mean they no longer want to go, and are considering whether to stay in Mexico instead of returning home.

A driver rammed a German Christmas market, killing 2 (NYT) A driver plowed a vehicle into a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg in central Germany this evening, killing at least two people and injuring more than 65 others, 14 of them severely. The driver, identified as a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian citizen, was arrested, the authorities said. They said they believe it was a deliberate attack. More than 1,000 Christmas markets pop up every year in Germany, and have been targeted by terrorists before. In 2016, an extremist rammed a truck into a crowd in Berlin, killing 13. Since then, the police have secured many of the markets with temporary barriers.

As Russia threats loom, Finland’s people are learning to shoot back (AP) Unsettled by Russia’s expansionism and emboldened by its recent accession to NATO, Finland is rallying to strengthen its national self-defense beyond its traditional military capabilities. The popularity of weapons training in the Nordic country has soared in recent months. Few places tell the story of the rise in Finnish affinity for self-defense more than shooting ranges that are riding a boom of interest. The Vantaa Reservist Association, which operates a gun range in a warehouse once used to make sex toys, in Kerava, north of Helsinki, has more than doubled its membership over the last two years and now counts over 2,100 members. “They have something in the back of their head ringing that this is the skill I have to learn now,” said association chairman Antti Kettunen, standing among bullet-riddled targets. “I think that the wind has changed, now it’s blowing from the east.”

Ukraine’s mineral wealth (Washington Post) Ukraine is not only the breadbasket of Europe; it is also a mineral superpower, with some of the largest reserves of 117 of the 120 most widely used minerals in the world. Of the 50 strategic minerals identified by the United States as critical to its economy and national security, many of which are quite rare yet key to certain high-value applications, Ukraine supplies 22. Ukraine possesses the largest reserves of uranium in Europe; the second-largest reserves of iron ore, titanium and manganese; and the third-largest reserves of shale gas—as well as large deposits of lithium, graphite and rare earth metals, according to a 2022 report by the Canadian geopolitical risk-analysis firm SecDev. These minerals are essential to the production of vital goods ranging from airplanes, cellphones and electric vehicles to steel and nuclear power. These natural resources are valued at an estimated $26 trillion, according to SecDev.

Japanese city to name and shame people who break rubbish rules (BBC) Starting in March, Fukushima plans to introduce stricter garbage disposal rules—an initiative which includes using the government website to publish the names of the individuals and businesses that violate them. Last year, the city reported over 9,000 cases of non-compliant garbage. Rubbish is taken very seriously in Japan, where since the 1990s the government has made it a national goal to shift away from landfills, reduce waste and promote recycling. Local authorities have introduced their own initiatives in line with this goal. Residents in Kamikatsu, a Japanese town with an ambitious zero-waste goal, proudly sort their rubbish into 45 categories. Kagoshima prefecture has made it mandatory for residents to write their names on their rubbish bags. And last year the city of Chiba piloted an AI assistant to help residents dispose their rubbish properly.

Syria not a threat to world, rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa tells BBC (BBC) The de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said the country is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbours or to the West. In an interview with the BBC in Damascus, he called for sanctions on Syria to be lifted. “Now, after all that has happened, sanctions must be lifted because they were targeted at the old regime. The victim and the oppressor should not be treated in the same way,” he said. He said HTS should be de-listed as a terrorist organisation. Sharaa said HTS was not a terrorist group. They did not target civilians or civilian areas, he said. In fact, they considered themselves to be victim of the crimes of the Assad regime. He denied that he wanted to turn Syria into a version of Afghanistan. Sharaa said the countries were very different, with different traditions. Afghanistan was a tribal society. In Syria, he said, there was a different mindset. He said he believed in education for women. “We’ve had universities in Idlib for more than eight years,” Sharaa said, referring to Syria’s north-western province that has been held by rebels since 2011. “I think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60%.”

For thousands of Jews, Israel still doesn’t feel safe after the Oct. 7 attacks. So they’re leaving (AP) Leaving Israel is easier, Shira Z. Carmel thinks, by saying it’s just for now. For the Israeli-born singer and an increasing number of relatively well-off Israelis, the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack shattered any sense of safety and along with it, Israel’s founding promise: to be the world’s safe haven for Jews. Ten days later, a pregnant Carmel, her husband and their toddler boarded a flight to Australia, which was looking for people in her husband’s profession. And they spun the explanation to friends and family as something other than permanent—“relocation” is the easier-to-swallow term—acutely aware of the familial strain and the shame that have shadowed Israelis who leave for good. “We told them we’re going to get out of the line of fire for awhile,” Carmel said more than a year later from her family’s new home in Melbourne. “It wasn’t a hard decision. But it was very hard to talk to them about it. It was even hard to admit it to ourselves.” Thousands of Israelis have left the country since Oct. 7, 2023. Migration experts say it’s possible people leaving Israel will surpass the number of immigrants to Israel in 2024, according to Sergio DellaPergola, a statistician and professor emeritus of Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

‘We Just Want Mercy’: A Gaza Hospital Pleads for a Respite (NYT) The last functioning intensive care unit at a hospital in northern Gaza was severely damaged by Israeli shelling this week, according to medical staff at the facility who have been pleading for a respite from violence to bring in essential supplies. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, which includes the intensive care unit, in the city of Jabaliya, said on Thursday that it had been hit by an Israeli tank shell that caused a fire and inflicted serious damage. The unit was the only intensive care facility still providing services for both children and adults in northern Gaza, he said. “We urgently need repairs related to water and oxygen supplies, but we have not received anything so far,” Dr. Abu Safiya said in a statement. “We appeal to the international community to open a humanitarian corridor and allow the entry of medical supplies, equipment and ambulances so that we can provide safe medical services.” “We have been addressing the world for over 75 days, and yet nothing is being done,” Dr. Abu Safiya said in an earlier statement, issued on Wednesday. “Yesterday was one of the darkest, most difficult and bloodiest days at Kamal Adwan Hospital,” he added. “The tank shells hit the intensive care unit, igniting a fire that forced us to evacuate the patients quickly.”

France’s military is being ousted from more African countries (AP) It’s been a tumultuous month for France and its relationship with former colonies in Africa, as its influence on the continent faces the biggest challenge in decades. Two of its closest allies struck a double blow. The government of Chad, considered France’s most stable and loyal partner in Africa, announced on its Independence Day it was ending defense cooperation to redefine its sovereignty. And in an interview published hours later by Le Monde, Senegal’s new president said it was “obvious” that soon French soldiers wouldn’t be on Senegalese soil. The decisions by Senegal and Chad “are part of the wider structural transformation in the region’s engagement with France, in which Paris political and military influence continues to diminish,” according to Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft. They follow the ousting of French forces in recent years by military-led governments in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, where local sentiments turned sour following years of French forces fighting alongside local ones in the face of stubborn Islamic extremist insurgencies.

Note: News coverage over the holidays may be sporadic as the editor takes time off. Wishing you a good break and relaxing, inspiring times of your own.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

January 19, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JAN 19, 2024

President Joe Biden today signed the continuing resolution that will keep the government operating into March.

Meanwhile, the stock market roared as two of the three major indexes hit new record highs. The S&P 500, which measures the value of 500 of the largest companies in the country, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which does the same for 30 companies considered to be industry leaders, both rose to all-time highs. The third major index, the Nasdaq Composite, which is weighted toward technology stocks, did not hit a record high, although its 1.7% jump was higher than that of the S&P 500 (1.2%) or the Dow (1.1%).

Investors appear to be buoyed by the fact the rate of inflation has come down in the U.S. and by news that consumers are feeling better about the economy. A report out today by Goldman Sachs Economics Research noted that consumer spending is strong and predicted that “job gains, positive real wage growth, will lead to around 3% real disposable income growth” and that “household balance sheets have strengthened.” It also noted that “[t]he US has led the way on disinflation,” and it predicted further drops in 2024. That will likely mean the sort of interest rate cuts the stock market likes. 

The economic policies of the Biden-Harris administration have also benefited workers. The unemployment rate has been under 4% for more than two years, and wages have risen higher than inflation in that same period. Production is up as well, to 4.9% in the third quarter of 2023 (the U.S. growth rate under Trump even before the pandemic was 2.5%). 

The administration has worked to end some of the most obvious financial inequities in the U.S., such as the unexpected “junk fees” tacked on to airline or concert tickets, or to car or apartment rentals. On Wednesday the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced a proposed rule for bank overdraft fees at banks that have more than $10 billion in assets. 

While banks now can charge what they wish if a customer’s balance falls below zero, the proposed rule would allow them to charge no more than what it cost them to break even on providing overdraft services or, alternatively, an industry-wide fee that reflects the amount it costs to deal with overdrafts: $3, $6, $7, or $14. The amount will be established after a public hearing period.

Ken Sweet and Cora Lewis of the Associated Press note that while the average overdraft is $26.61, some banks charge as much as $39 per overdraft. The CFPB estimates that in the past 20 years, banks have collected more than $280 billion in overdraft fees. (One bank’s chief executive officer named his boat “Overdraft.”) Over the past two years, pressure has made banks cut back on their fees and they now take in about $8 billion a year from those overdraft fees. 

Bankers say regulation is unnecessary and will force them to end the overdraft service, pushing people out of the banking system. Biden said that the rule would save U.S. families $3.5 billion annually. 

The administration has also addressed the student loan crisis by reexamining the loan histories of student borrowers. An NPR investigation led by Cory Turner revealed that banks mismanaged loans, denying borrowers the terms under which they had signed on to them. Rather than honoring the government’s promise that so long as a borrower paid what the government thought was reasonable on a loan for 20 or 25 years (undergrad or graduate), the debt would be forgiven, banks urged borrowers to put the loan into “forbearance,” under which payments paused but the debt continued to accrue interest, making the amount balloon. 

The Education Department has been reexamining all those old loans to find this sort of mismanagement as well as other problems, like borrowers not getting credit for payments to count toward their 20 years of payments, or borrowers who chose public service not receiving the debt relief they were promised.

Today the administration announced $4.9 billion of student debt cancellation for almost 74,000 borrowers. That brings the total of borrowers whose debt has been canceled to 3.7 million Americans, with an erasure of $136.6 billion. Nearly 30,000 of today’s relieved borrowers had been in repayment for at least 20 years but never got the relief they should have; nearly 44,000 had earned debt forgiveness after 10 years of public service as teachers, nurses, and firefighters.

Biden has been traveling the country recently, touting how the economic policies of the Biden-Harris administration have benefited ordinary Americans. In Emmaus, Pennsylvania, last Friday he visited a bicycle shop, a running shoe store, and a coffee shop to emphasize how small businesses are booming under his administration: in the three years since he took office, there have been 16 million applications to start new businesses, the highest number on record.

Biden was in Raleigh, North Carolina, yesterday to announce another $82 million in support for broadband access, bringing the total of government infrastructure funding in North Carolina during the Biden administration to $3 billion.  

On social media, the administration compared its investments in the American people to those of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 1930s, which were enormously popular. 

They were popular, that is, until those opposed to business regulation convinced white voters that the government’s protection of civil rights, which came along with its protection of ordinary Americans through regulation of business, provision of a basic social safety net, and promotion of infrastructure, meant redistribution of white tax dollars to undeserving Black people.

The same effort to make sure that ordinary Americans don’t work together to restore basic fairness in the economy and rights in society is visible now in the attempt to attribute a recent Boeing airplane malfunction, in which a door panel blew off mid-flight, to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Tesnim Zekeria at Popular Information yesterday chronicled how that accusation spread across the right-wing ecosystem and onto the Fox News Channel, where Fox Business host Sean Duffy warned: “This is a dangerous business when you’re focused on DEI and maybe less focused on engineering and safety.” 

As Zekeria explains, “this narrative has no basis in fact.” Neither Boeing nor its supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, is particularly diverse, either at the workforce level, where minorities make up 35% of Boeing employees and 26% of those at Spirit AeroSystems, or on the corporate ladder, where the overwhelming majority of executives are white men. Zekeria notes that right-wing media figures have also erroneously blamed last year’s train derailment in Ohio and the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank on DEI initiatives.

The real culprit at Boeing, Zekeria suggests, was the weakened regulations on Boeing and Spirit thanks to more than $65 million in lobbying efforts.

Perhaps an even more transparent attempt to keep ordinary Americans from working together is the attacks former Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson has launched against Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “a member of the new master race” who “must be shown maximum respect at all times, no matter what she says or does.” Philip Bump of the Washington Post noted yesterday that this construction suggests that Harris, who identifies as both Black and Indian, represents all nonwhite Americans as a united force opposed to white Americans. 

But Harris’s actions actually represent something else altogether. She has crossed the country since June 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that recognized the constitutional right to abortion, talking about the right of all Americans to bodily autonomy. That the Supreme Court felt able to take away a constitutional right has worried many Americans about what they might do next, and people all over the country have been coming together in opposition to the small minority that appears to have taken over the levers of our democracy. 

Driving the wedge of racism into that majority coalition seems to be a desperate attempt to stop ordinary Americans from taking back control of the country.  

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON