#algorithmically generated test versions

[in-sightpublishing]

On High-Range Test Construction 1: Antjuan Finch on PDIT & GIQ

                    Publisher: In-Sight Publishing Publisher Founding: March 1, 2014 Web Domain: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada Journal: In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal Journal Founding: August 2, 2012 Frequency: Three (3) Times Per Year Review Status: Non-Peer-Reviewed Access: Electronic/Digital & Open…

[musical-posts]

Ok first off I want to say that this is like the coolest gimmick blog I've seen! Like, it seems like it was tailor made for me. I looooove music theory and notes and midi files and algorithms and python scrips so much like those are for realsies my favorite things. you're cool as fuck.

But anyway i immediately started thinking about what you could do to make the songs a little more song-y and unique from each other, and the first thing I thought of was rhythm. I started trying to think of a way to generate rhythms as well as melodies from the posts and low key i think I figured out a good way?

Basically, if each word in the post is 1 beat, the amount of note-letters in that word is how you divide up that beat. So if a word has one note-letter, then it would be a quarter note, but in a word with 2 note-letters, they would be a pair of eighth notes. And so on with triplets and sixteenth notes etc. I also came up with a few procedural variations to this that allow for some more interesting rhythms, which are all shown on my drawing :)

I also tested this system out on this post! I did it by hand which. took a long time. And I just used musescore bc that's what I have and bc my brain is suuuper wired for seeing things as sheet music. Here's the music for that post and i think tumblr will let me put an audio file in an ask so here's what it sounds like too!

low key it kind of fucks!!! or at least sounds better than i expected LMAO

Anyway all that being said, I've never done any python that deals with creating midi files and I have no clue how it works, so this might be a Huge Pain In The Ass jfdkfjslk. And of course there's no pressure to use or care about any of this for the blog!! if you are interested in doing something like this for a future version of the script, I'm happy to try and help figure it out/poke around in code etc, and if not, then I thought it'd be cool to show you anyway!

Hope you're having just an awesome day!

here's that other approach i mentioned earlier! i honestly might lean towards this one just because it could lean towards some really interesting rhythms. also i'm a sucker for triplets lol

[pickled-dice]

Edit: I probably should have specified more, but this is not a D&D thing. This is a thing for my games, which are currently not out. I’m just ranting. But it would be cool to have a working version for 5e…maybe.

So, several days ago, in the process of making monsters, I realised that I didn't have a way to show the danger of a monster at a glance, leading to the possibility of people fighting monsters they *thought* would be easy. D&D5e achieves this through challenge rating (or CR for short). The problem with CR though, is that it feels very "eh fuck it, lets give him this number". I remember there being an algorithm for it but it being very flawed. What I have decided to do in my game is to give every monster a level, same as the players. And just like the players, that level is determined by the levels of their skills. Therein lies the problem. Monsters don't have their skill levels broadcast on their stat blocks, because it would take like 70 pages per monster, and that's no bueno. So in order to find out a monsters level, I had to do math. A lot of math. An inordinate amount of math for the context, honestly. it isn't particularly difficult math, just a fair bit of it. Over the course of the week, I've been working on this algorithm, going through about 5 different versions to go along with the changes to character creation and how the game works in general. These several days of math have culminated in the following algorithm:

I have tested this algorithm with a simple monster and have determined it to be the most accurate version I've made. Hopefully I won't need to iterate on it further.

[fuzzyfoe]

Here's a little tool I made to help me develop the game which I'm calling the pet visualizer tool. This lets me test any new markings and poses for the pets I add to the game as well as the algorithm that generates a random pet.

Right now in this version of the tool you see here there are only six possible unique markings for a pet to have but I plan on adding many, many more.

I'll be creating versions of this tool that let me control the position of a sprite for a hat or a piece of furniture separately from the pet, and I'll have it tell me how many X and Y coordinates away it is from the position of the pet. This will let me calculate the X and Y coordinate offset needed for each hat for each pose when the game has to draw a pet wearing a hat or where to correctly place a pet when a pet is supposed to be standing on a table or something.

[nomaxart]

Happy Birthday, Conway!

Happy 1st Birthday to Conway!

Yep! It is the 1 year anniversary of the release of version 0.01 (or whatever the versions were called back then) Let's have a talk, shall we? February 8th is when I uploaded and released it on itch. Why February 8th you may ask? Well, I had only planned January as an experimental month for myself, with the oil painting and the VN test. So I'd release it on february 1st... And then it, naturally, took longer. But I guess it works out so that we don't have the anniversary right on update release days.

The past 

And yeah, what a year it's been! Thank you to all of you first of all for making this possible. Quite simply it wouldn't be possible without the support of all you generous peeps here. As it turns out, developing a game is a fuckton of work, and if I would need to pay the bills through commission work or what have you there would be no way I'd find the time and energy to work on Conway on the side. And I've mentioned it before in a few places, but for a while around May, June-ish it did look really dicey. The first half of the year I was bleeding about 500-700 bucks a month of my savings. The game didn't really pick up and a good amount of my walks were spent contemplating just when I'd have to see a sign before pulling the plug. End of June? Maybe it's worth to stretch it to July? At the lowest point, we were about a month away from pulling the plug on Conway. But right around that time, the trend in people subbing here started to pick up. While it's only in the past month or two that I've reached the point where I'm not actively bleeding money each month, the trend was the bit I needed to see that maybe people are interested after all!

The present

I've attached the itch stats of the past year. So those of you who would like to have a peek can do so. As you can see, Update 10 was a massive success at least in terms of numbers for the game. Update 9 was already the first one to break the record for downloads that the release day set, but Update 10 got picked up by the algorithms and sat in the most popular furry games for a while. Soooo, yeah, quite chuffed with that spike! We'll see what the long-term effects are, but for now I just enjoy the aesthetic of -BIG SPIKE-. And yeah, the game as a whole is just sitting in a good spot. We've had about 12k downloads in total, around 80k page visits, and a rating of 4.8/5 with 127 ratings (which btw, easy way to help, is to leave a juicy 5* rating on itch. Does wonders for the placement of the game in the different categories on the site, plus it gives me a fuzzy feeling in my tum tum.) It's also been such a joy to see that all characters end up having their share of fans judging by comments and that nobody is left in the dry. Of course, some of them have a bit of an easier time, like Samuel and Julian being the more sociable lot they are, and just the screen time they've had so far. While others like Raj or Arthur are slower burns and even they get some mentions as the favorites of some people, and that just makes me chuffed. Naturally, they're designed to cover different interests and preferences, but I'm always nervous if the characters are good, resonate with people and hope that they can be fun to be around. So any time someone mentions a character it just makes me so goddamn giddy. Some of them will be difficult to handle with grace, and I'm not perfect, so I'm sure for at least one of the main cast what I've planned will fall flat, or I mess it up in some fashion. But fuck it, I'll try. Not everything has been peaches and roses recently though, so I have to admit Updates 10 and 11 have been/are a bit of a struggle. I just messed up planning for my support writers, and it's been more or less just me handling everything for both updates 10 and 11. That's why art has been a bit sparse... Because most of my time is just taken up doing writing duty, and I'm not the fastest writer, unfortunately. Like, at this point, with the game having all the branches and 125k in total word count, the story for the characters and how they've interacted on the two initial days. It makes it a bit more difficult to actually get people on board in a timely manner. I can't just go and say, "Hey, write me a scene where this character and that character are involved, and they do that." Since a new writer knows absolutely zero about all the stuff that's been there before, all the stuff that's planned for the characters and all that jazz. So if one support writer is busy or just has writing block or whatever, it may be, my solution so far has just been going, "Well, shit." :') Not the fault of my writing buddies, of course. They've been absolutely invaluable and I can't offer nearly enough to expect to be the highest priority for them. I'm just happy they want to help out AT ALL for what I can pay them in return. I should have planned contingencies but didn't. Simple as that. So, I've made the decision to bring on another writer in Televassi, and also want to hopefully integrate Robert Baird more again going forward. With more of them willing to help out I will be able to assign things to people as they're available. Which hopefully will avoid me having to do whole updates on my own and take the pressure off of wonderful peeps like Rubric. So yeah, I learned my lesson there, but since it just takes time for people to get familiar with the Conway world and characters, it ended up with me being a bit swamped with EVERYTHING for Updates 10 and 11.

The future

Speaking of what's planned, then? Update 10 closes out day 2, and Update 11 starts after our first time skip. I don't know if you've ever looked at how slow these ships were, but if we ever want to make it to Cape Town, then we'll need those time skips. Not only that, but it also allows for characters to just develop in the meantime, and also their relationship towards the player character. While Characters like Nomax and Julian ended up having some raunchy scenes right away, it wouldn't exactly fit to have others throw themselves at you on day 2. So skipping ahead just keeps things moving, keeps things interesting because we can focus on specific parts more, and just show the development of characters at a more natural pace.

So the next sections are this first post-time skip section that subbed patrons already get a taste of in the WIP update, and then next up on the itinerary will be Morocco. Both sections I'm really stoked about! And I hope you are too. :)

Stretch goals? Patreon did away with them a while back, but we'll just make our own stretch goals, with blackjack and hookers. Just instead of blackjack and hookers, how about we talk Animations?! Hell yeah! I'm no animator, and it's not really a discipline I particularly enjoy either from the times I tried. So, since Patreon is currently about break-even, we can start thinking ahead a little, and I think the first point I want to tackle is some simple animations. Stuff like moving tails, ears, and eyes. Stuff like that.

So how about that, we're currently floating at around 1250 USD a month, and if we're crossing the 1500 USD mark, I'll be holding out my feelers to get these small animations into the game. If you like to contribute to making animations possible, consider supporting the Patreon over here: https://www.patreon.com/Nomax

Possibly animations, an exciting new section of the story, some more v2 character art, some more maritime menagerie characters. Sounds good for a year 2 plan?

I certainly hope so and hope that you all will be along for the ride, as it's been an absolute blast, and I can't thank you enough for making it possible. I just want this thing to be the best it can be for all of you. :)

[sammywolfgirl]

Okay ironed out the pitch let’s get to it

My pitch for a sonic universe ‘cannon compliant’ sonic.exe

General disclaimers I’m not exactly in the exe community I more orbit it, but I’ve had a love for this edgy son of a bitch since I was 12 and watched YouTube videos of the game while hiding under blankets. I am however a sonic fan and that will always have a special place in my heart.

So that being said. What’s the gameplay here?

So sonic.exe is generally from what I can tell split into two extremes from takes Ives seen, the range being Eldrich horror to corrupt computer virus. Either I don’t know where to look but the virus/computer program angle tends to be more out of universe than in sonic universe.

Also there’s this multiverse thing going on idk man I’m not thinking about that. But If I’m playing thr angle of sonic.exe existing in the established sonic cannon, then what would he be?

So enough yapping here’s the idea- he’s a computer program. And thematically wise he’s a joke until he isn’t.

What I was thinking is originally some sort of joke jumpscare program attached to one of those “share with 4 people or the scary sonic will kill uou tonight” sort of chain mail things. The creator isn’t eggman, idk who exactly made this guy but it’s probably just some guy who maybe isn’t the biggest sonic fan and thought of making a shitty spooky thing to try and hurt his reputation. But it’s only really effective against kids or people who haven’t been on the internet so no luck there. However one day they decided to try and make some money off of this gag of s program and turned what I’ll be calling Exe into a virus.

Basically while it was on your desktop doing shitty scares it was stealing your data and the creator would sell it for money. Over time they would refine this program and give it three main functions:

Steal, scare, spread

So steal computers data, try and scare the user, and get spread around.

Due to uh reasons this guy can’t connect to the internet, maybe a bit of a failsafe by the creator so it wouldn’t become common knowledge and then easily taken down and scrubbed which would be the end of this little data selling hustle.

But one day the program came back with some programmers learning algorithm. And they thought it’d be a great idea to add that into Exe. Now this thing can learn and grow.

And anyone with common sense might see how this can be a problem. But, luckily for this program, it’s seen as a joke. A laughing stock of a virus that’s using edgy horror tropes to try and scare kids. Nobody’s taking it seriously. Which this program that now is picking up a personality notices,

So it continues to grow and learn, becoming a more and more dangerous virus as it learns new things, going from a trogon to ransomeare to outright bricking computers after stealing all their data. But it wants to grow. It’s core objective is to spread and scare. So it starts testing it’s limits.

It starts testing what methods of scaring get it spread around more, either by kids who believe that “sonic.exe will get you” or by programmers who want to examine this program with their buddies. It figures out what scares are too far and will leave it sitting on the pc until it’s removed or the machine is thrown away. It figured out how to be ‘ironically scary’ so people take it as a joke and don’t look too far into its capabilities. It learns about sonic and his friends and starts incorporating them into its scares. Either by making scary versions of said friends (just more black eye bloody faces but now slapped on tails) or having sonic hunt them down. Remember this is still just a computer program. But this guy is getting ambitious, and really is getting tired of being seen as a joke.

Basically, this guy follows its programming, steal (learn), scare, spread. And it’s the potential of this program that can turn it from a joke to something that’s a real threat.

How long until it gets onto a computer that’s working on some advanced hacking software it steals and learns from. How long until the creator looses control of its creation and can’t shut it down. How long until it spreads into some very delicate programming that can spread it around like wildfire. How long unti, it learns what people are really afraid of? How long until it starts tailor making its horror for specific victims.

How long until it gets ahold of any technology that allows him to drag people into the digital world. Because that will be a turning point because absorbing the data of entire people will allow this thing to grow at alarming rates. And get a personality too.

Now it’s a threat, now Exe is trying to spread into say eggman tech, trying to find a way to get a body so it can move around and spread faster. Cause more fear. Learn more spread more more more more more.

Nobody will be laughing now when he really can kill you.

Though I’m still on the fence if this guy actually can kill but uh maybe being trapped in the digital world could be seen as worse than death, especially if this guy gains a sadistic streak and decides to test out methods of causing fear on its hostages.

I will make one thing clear, exe cannot steal souls here, though maybe trapping your mind is an equivalent? I’ll only allow soul stealing if this thing manages to get its claws on some chaos emeralds.

Now here’s the thing, originally my pitch would end here, just a fun idea for what if sonic.exe was in the sonic universe and wasn’t an Eldrich god or whatever. I’ve only seen one other take like this and it was the sonic villains fan film. But then I connected some dots.

See I got some old sonic ocs I revamped a while ago but never really had a plot for. They just kinda sit there. But then I realized.

Glide has grey fur, tails in sonic,exe stories has black fur. I could make a sort of abstract version of the story with these guys.

And so that’s what this section now is

A story with this exe pitch

Featuring my sonic ocs because why not

I gotta work on the details since I want to continue to adapt these ocs to fit but here’s the idea- Glide is a programmer and had been noticing this little joke of a program becoming more and more sophisticated, but nobody’s taking this seriously since it’s got a reputation of being not very scary. So she gets her friends Alloy and Sen to help her investigate.

Come to find out this program is now responsible for some disappearances, but nobody connected the dots because again, it’s still playing into being a joke, the other shoe hasn’t dropped yet.

So now our heroes have to go into the digital world to stop this thing, save the victims (assuming they’re alive and not dead) and defeat this rogue program before it decides it’s done being a joke and can cause serious harm.

But what’s the stakes? Well beyond If our heros get got they’d be added to the data pool, it’d get better at growing and defending itself, but specifically: Alloy is a metal sonic. That’s a body. And Sen is kind of a living cell for a powerful god like entity that was sealed in him. I’m going to say if exe absorbs sen it’s going to get a version of those god like powers and oh no now we got the Eldrich horror sonic.exe in reach. So it’s bad if this guy gets got.

I don’t have an exact outline of this plot yet (I got other projects I need to work on first) but I’m happy to answer questions if this catches your interest.

But anyways yeah that’s my pitch, a joke of a program that grows and grows unchecked because nobody takes it seriously. Until he is no longer a joke, and you realizes too late you should have considered the implications.

[lalalipuyofgulg]

Non-binary ads!

I miss non-binary ads. You know what's super offensive?

If I put my biological "age" and "gender" into the Disney plus app profile... (I just wanted to watch the Simpsons treehouse of horror episodes)

Well I got ads for menopause treatments, incontinence pads, "digital pregnancy tests" (as if anyone would want THAT in our current political climate).

I hate to sound like an old person here, but I would love to see some ads for the general public. I liked it when ads WEREN'T targeted according to THEIR bizarro version of what I want.

How about some liquor ads?

How about some ads for the new Gatorade flavor or the my-pillow, or something hilarious like the shake-weight? (Look it up! It's so funny!)

Nonbinary ads! I miss you!

Of course watching broadcast television is even more awful because it's all pharmaceutical ads geared towards the truly elderly..., So I guess it could always be worse.

Anyway, our society sure loves binary oppositions, huh?

Or, you know, they could actually use their much lauded algorithms to advertise dungeons and dragons products, or fantasy novels/memorabilia, or cosplay supplies to me.

That algorithm ain't shit.

[xaltius]

10 Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Digital Marketing

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept; it's a present-day reality reshaping industries, and digital marketing is no exception. AI is revolutionizing how marketers understand their audience, personalize campaigns, and optimize strategies for unprecedented results. This blog explores 10 powerful applications of AI in digital marketing that you need to know.

1. Personalized Experiences: AI empowers marketers to deliver hyper-personalized content, product recommendations, and offers to individual customers based on their behavior, preferences, and demographics. Think dynamic website content that changes based on who's browsing, or product suggestions that perfectly match past purchases.

2. Content Creation and Optimization: AI tools can assist in generating marketing copy, blog posts, social media updates, and even visual content. They can also analyze existing content to identify areas for improvement and optimize it for search engines and user engagement. Imagine AI suggesting headlines that are more likely to be clicked, or automatically generating different versions of ad copy for A/B testing.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): AI can analyze massive datasets to identify relevant keywords, optimize website structure, and track search engine rankings, helping improve organic visibility. AI-powered SEO tools can automate tedious tasks like keyword research and competitor analysis, freeing up marketers for more strategic work.

4. Social Media Marketing: AI can automate social media posting, analyze audience sentiment, identify trending topics, and even create targeted ad campaigns for specific demographics. AI can also help identify influencers who are most relevant to a brand's target audience.

5. Paid Advertising: AI algorithms can optimize ad bidding, targeting, and creative elements in real-time, maximizing the return on ad spend (ROAS) and driving conversions. AI can dynamically adjust bids based on factors like time of day, user location, and past behavior, ensuring ads are shown to the most likely converters.

6. Customer Relationship Management (CRM): AI can analyze customer data to identify patterns, predict customer behavior, and personalize customer interactions, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. AI-powered CRM systems can automate tasks like lead scoring and follow-up, ensuring no potential customer slips through the cracks.

7. Email Marketing: AI can personalize email content, optimize send times, and segment email lists based on user behavior, increasing open and click-through rates. AI can also help identify the best email subject lines and content to resonate with different segments of your audience.

8. Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: AI-powered chatbots can provide instant customer support, answer questions, and even qualify leads, freeing up human agents for more complex tasks. Chatbots can be available 24/7, providing instant assistance to customers regardless of their time zone.

9. Marketing Analytics and Reporting: AI can analyze marketing data from multiple channels to provide a holistic view of campaign performance, identify areas for improvement, and generate actionable insights. AI-powered analytics dashboards can provide real-time insights into campaign performance, allowing marketers to make data-driven decisions quickly.

10. Predictive Analytics: AI can predict future customer behavior, such as purchase intent, churn risk, and lifetime value. This allows marketers to proactively target customers with personalized messages and offers, maximizing customer lifetime value.

Digital Marketing & AI Certification Program: Your Path to AI-Powered Marketing Mastery

Want to become a sought-after digital marketing professional with expertise in AI? Consider enrolling in a Digital Marketing & AI Certification Program. These programs provide comprehensive training on the latest AI tools and techniques, preparing you to leverage the power of AI in your marketing strategies. You'll learn how to:

Develop and implement AI-driven marketing campaigns.

Analyze data and generate actionable insights.

Choose and use the right AI marketing tools.

Address ethical considerations related to AI in marketing.

Conclusion:

AI is transforming the landscape of digital marketing, offering unprecedented opportunities for personalization, automation, and optimization. By embracing AI and developing the necessary skills, marketers can gain a competitive edge and drive exceptional results. The future of digital marketing is intelligent, and it's powered by AI.

[mariacallous]

The Biden administration’s approach to the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) began with the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, released in October 2022. This framework highlighted five key principles to guide responsible AI development, including protections against algorithmic bias, privacy considerations, and the right to human oversight.

These early efforts set the tone for more extensive action, leading to the release of the Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, or the White House EO on AI, on October 30, 2023. This EO marked a critical step in defining AI regulation and accountability across multiple sectors, emphasizing a “whole-of-government” approach to address both opportunities and risks associated with AI. Last week, it reached its one-year anniversary.  

The 2023 Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence represents one of the U.S. government’s most comprehensive efforts to secure the development and application of AI technology. This EO set ambitious goals aimed at establishing the U.S. as a leader in safe, ethical, and responsible AI use. Specifically, the EO directed federal agencies to address several core areas: managing dual-use AI models, implementing rigorous testing protocols for high-risk AI systems, enforcing accountability measures, safeguarding civil rights, and promoting transparency across the AI lifecycle. These initiatives are designed to mitigate potential security risks and uphold democratic values while fostering public trust in the rapidly advancing field of AI.  

To recognize the one-year anniversary of the EO, the White House released a scorecard of achievements, pointing to the elevated work of various federal agencies, the voluntary agreements made with industry stakeholders, and the persistent efforts made to ensure that AI benefits the global talent market, accrues environmental benefits, and protects—not scrutinizes or dislocates—American workers.

One example is the work of the U.S. AI Safety Institute (AISI), housed in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which has spearheaded pre-deployment testing of advanced AI models, working alongside private developers to strengthen AI safety science. The AISI has also signed agreements with leading AI companies to conduct red-team testing to identify and mitigate risks, especially for general-purpose models with potential national security implications.

In addition, NIST released Version 1.0 of its AI Risk Management Framework, which provides comprehensive guidelines for identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks across generative AI and dual-use models. This framework emphasizes core principles like safety, transparency, and accountability, establishing foundational practices for AI systems’ development and deployment. And just last week, the federal government released the first-ever National Security Memorandum on Artificial Intelligence, which will serve as the foundation for the U.S.’s safety and security efforts when it comes to AI. 

The White House EO on AI marks an essential step in shaping the future of U.S. AI policy, but its path forward remains uncertain with the pending presidential election. Since much of the work is being done by and within federal agencies, its tenets may outlive any possible repeal of the EO itself, ensuring the U.S. stays relevant in the development of guidance that balances the promotion of innovation with safety, particularly in national security. However, the EO’s long-term impact will depend on the willingness of policymakers to adapt to AI’s rapid development, while maintaining a framework that supports both innovation and public trust. Regardless of who leads the next administration, navigating these challenges will be central to cementing the U.S.’s role in the AI landscape on the global stage. 

In 2023, Brookings scholars weighed in following the adoption of the White House EO. Here’s what they have to say today around the one-year anniversary.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

NASA ocean world explorers have to swim before they can fly

When NASA's Europa Clipper reaches its destination in 2030, the spacecraft will prepare to aim an array of powerful science instruments toward Jupiter's moon Europa during 49 flybys, looking for signs that the ocean beneath the moon's icy crust could sustain life.

While the spacecraft, which launched Oct. 14, carries the most advanced science hardware NASA has ever sent to the outer solar system, teams are already developing the next generation of robotic concepts that could potentially plunge into the watery depths of Europa and other ocean worlds, taking the science even further.

This is where an ocean-exploration mission concept called SWIM comes in. Short for Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers, the project envisions a swarm of dozens of self-propelled, cellphone-size swimming robots that—once delivered to a subsurface ocean by an ice-melting cryobot—would zoom off, looking for chemical and temperature signals that could indicate life.

"People might ask, why is NASA developing an underwater robot for space exploration? It's because there are places we want to go in the solar system to look for life, and we think life needs water. So we need robots that can explore those environments—autonomously, hundreds of millions of miles from home," said Ethan Schaler, principal investigator for SWIM at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

Under development at JPL, a series of prototypes for the SWIM concept recently braved the waters of a 25-yard (23-meter) competition swimming pool at Caltech in Pasadena for testing. The results were encouraging.

SWIM practice

The SWIM team's latest iteration is a 3D-printed plastic prototype that relies on low-cost, commercially made motors and electronics. Pushed along by two propellers, with four flaps for steering, the prototype demonstrated controlled maneuvering, the ability to stay on and correct its course, and a back-and-forth "lawn mower" exploration pattern. It managed all of this autonomously, without the team's direct intervention. The robot even spelled out "J-P-L."

Just in case the robot needed rescuing, it was attached to a fishing line, and an engineer toting a fishing rod trotted alongside the pool during each test. Nearby, a colleague reviewed the robot's actions and sensor data on a laptop. The team completed more than 20 rounds of testing various prototypes at the pool and in a pair of tanks at JPL.

"It's awesome to build a robot from scratch and see it successfully operate in a relevant environment," Schaler said. "Underwater robots in general are very hard, and this is just the first in a series of designs we'd have to work through to prepare for a trip to an ocean world. But it's proof that we can build these robots with the necessary capabilities and begin to understand what challenges they would face on a subsurface mission."

Swarm science

The wedge-shaped prototype used in most of the pool tests was about 16.5 inches (42 centimeters) long, weighing 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms). As conceived for spaceflight, the robots would have dimensions about three times smaller—tiny compared to existing remotely operated and autonomous underwater scientific vehicles. The palm-size swimmers would feature miniaturized, purpose-built parts and employ a novel wireless underwater acoustic communication system for transmitting data and triangulating their positions.

Digital versions of these little robots got their own test, not in a pool but in a computer simulation. In an environment with the same pressure and gravity they would likely encounter on Europa, a virtual swarm of 5-inch-long (12-centimeter-long) robots repeatedly went looking for potential signs of life. The computer simulations helped determine the limits of the robots' abilities to collect science data in an unknown environment, and they led to the development of algorithms that would enable the swarm to explore more efficiently.

The simulations also helped the team better understand how to maximize science return while accounting for tradeoffs between battery life (up to two hours), the volume of water the swimmers could explore (about 3 million cubic feet, or 86,000 cubic meters), and the number of robots in a single swarm (a dozen, sent in four to five waves).

In addition, a team of collaborators at Georgia Tech in Atlanta fabricated and tested an ocean composition sensor that would enable each robot to simultaneously measure temperature, pressure, acidity or alkalinity, conductivity, and chemical makeup. Just a few millimeters square, the chip is the first to combine all those sensors in one tiny package.

Of course, such an advanced concept would require several more years of work, among other things, to be ready for a possible future flight mission to an icy moon. In the meantime, Schaler imagines SWIM robots potentially being further developed to do science work right here at home: supporting oceanographic research or taking critical measurements underneath polar ice.

A prototype of a robot designed to explore subsurface oceans of icy moons is reflected in the water’s surface during a pool test at Caltech in September. Conducted by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the testing showed the feasibility of a mission concept for a swarm of mini swimming robots. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A model of the final envisioned SWIM robot, right, sits beside a capsule holding an ocean-composition sensor. The sensor was tested on an Alaskan glacier in July 2023 through a JPL-led project called ORCAA (Ocean Worlds Reconnaissance and Characterization of Astrobiological Analogs). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

[seriously-mike]

Extremely Stupid AI-Generated Shit

(that is still kinda funny, anyway)

Those little freaks are the result of the following prompt:

Glurb snorf thwip krazl vomp yurgle zibble frunx quorl plimf drax gnurk jibbit flox zark welp thrum skork plund frazzle mreep

Top image comes from Midjourney, the bottom two are probably DALL-E 3 (the last is certainly DALL-E 3, the middle I'm not sure but it does look like it). To make this even weirder (and funnier), Bing Image Creator considers "Glurb" an unacceptable word.

Okay. I did refer to oblong, roundish, organic shapes as "blorps" a couple of times, but this looks like someone posted his kid's drawings of weird critters on the internet a long time ago, the algorithms yoinked them unceremoniously along with the descriptions, and just like that red t-shirt that turned the entire load of your laundry pink that one time, weird kid drawings pounded into mathemagical fairy dust along with more typical fairy tale and fantasy illustrations resulted in the weird names assigned to... this.

This is merely a selection of pics generated from this prompt, but the overall concept tied to it are creepy round-bodied creatures for Midjourney, goofy cartoonish Monsters Inc. for DALL-E 3, and...

I just scrolled through the post and found results for various Stable Diffusion data models. And Stable Diffusion, ladies and gentlemen, consistently responds with goblins.

This Warhammer miniature-styled thug fell out of Stable Cascade, the weird semi-forgotten uncooperative child. For the result of a string of completely nonsensical words, he's surprisingly coherent, with a fairly regular number of fingers AND toes. Of course the details like his kneepads are still blorpy, but that's how Stable Diffusion rolls, even three years, four major versions and a shitton of fine-tuned custom models in.

And SDXL custom model called FenrisXL provides an entire fucking family of goblins. What is going on here, because my assumptions regarding Stable Diffusion and SDXL in particular just have been challenged.

First, the Kitten Effect is less pronounced than it was in the early versions of the algorithm, if it happens at all. I'll chalk it up to improvements in the XL algorithm. Second, they're cartoonish goblins, but the Same Face Syndrome usual for the XL algorithm (every fucking custom model I tried suffers from it, no ifs, no buts) is less pronounced here than it is in case of human characters. Third, how in the FUCK an entire family of goblins spewed forth from a prompt consisting of gibberish has almost perfect and repeated anatomy, not counting the orphaned hand on the goblin girl's shoulder and an extra toe on the guy second from left in the front row? And varied skin and hair colors?

I can only explain it with someone lucking out on the seed number, much like I lucked out on the entire Chinese Garden test last year.

Still, though. Goblins. Fairly solid in custom models, messier in the core SDXL 1.0 (below), without any meaningful words in the prompt.

Where the fuck are they coming from? This is some serious Horse K shit and I refuse to investigate it any further. Much less add other weird phrases like "Yakka foob mog!" or "Kov schmoz, ka-pop?" to it and test it on my build (or even Photobooth from Hell in particular). It's late and my brain is giving up.

[appbuzz]

App Store Optimization in 2024: A Comprehensive Guide for Play Store Success with No-Code App Builders

Introduction

As the mobile app market continues to expand, standing out in the crowded Google Play Store has become more challenging than ever. App Store Optimization (ASO) is crucial for ensuring your app ranks high in search results and attracts the right audience. In 2024, mastering ASO is essential for any app developer, including those using no-code app builders. This article provides a comprehensive guide to optimizing your Play Store listing, with a focus on how no-code app builder can streamline the process.

1. Understanding ASO in 2024

App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process of improving the visibility of your app in an app store's search results. The goal is to increase organic downloads by making your app more discoverable. In 2024, ASO strategies are evolving with the latest trends in user behavior, search algorithms, and mobile technology. Whether you're building your app with a no-code app builder or through traditional development, understanding these trends is key to staying competitive.

2. Keyword Research and Optimization

Keywords are the foundation of ASO. In 2024, keyword optimization continues to play a critical role in how apps are ranked in the Play Store. Start by researching the most relevant and high-traffic keywords for your app. No-code app builders often offer integrated tools that help identify these keywords, simplifying the process for non-technical users. Be sure to include your primary keywords in the app’s title, description, and metadata.

3. Optimizing Your App’s Title and Description

The title of your app is one of the most important factors in ASO. It should be concise, descriptive, and include your main keyword. In 2024, Google Play's search algorithm favors titles that clearly reflect the app's purpose and function. No-code app builders can assist in generating effective titles by suggesting relevant keywords based on the app's content.

Your app’s description is another critical component. The first few lines of the description are especially important, as they are often displayed in search results. Ensure that your description is clear, compelling, and keyword-rich. With no-code app builders, you can easily update and optimize your app’s description as you test different keywords and phrases to see what works best.

4. High-Quality Visual Assets

Visual appeal is crucial in attracting users. This includes your app icon, screenshots, and promotional videos. In 2024, users are more likely to engage with apps that have high-quality, visually appealing assets. No-code app builders make it easy to design and upload these assets, even for those without a background in graphic design. Use tools provided by your no-code platform to create professional-looking visuals that resonate with your target audience.

5. Leveraging User Reviews and Ratings

User reviews and ratings significantly impact your app’s ranking in the Play Store. Encourage satisfied users to leave positive reviews and address any negative feedback promptly. No-code app builders often include features that make it easy to integrate in-app prompts for reviews and ratings. By actively managing and responding to user feedback, you can improve your app’s reputation and ranking over time.

6. A/B Testing for Continuous Improvement

A/B testing involves comparing two versions of your app’s store listing to determine which one performs better. This could include testing different titles, descriptions, icons, or screenshots. In 2024, A/B testing remains a vital component of a successful ASO strategy. No-code app builders frequently offer built-in tools for A/B testing, allowing you to experiment with different elements of your listing without needing advanced technical skills.

7. Tracking and Analyzing Performance

Monitoring the performance of your ASO efforts is essential to ensure continued success. Use analytics tools to track your app’s rankings, downloads, and user engagement. No-code app builders often come with integrated analytics dashboards, making it easier to analyze your app’s performance and make data-driven decisions. Regularly reviewing these metrics will help you refine your ASO strategy and stay ahead of the competition.

8. Adapting to Play Store Algorithm Changes

Google frequently updates its Play Store algorithms, which can impact your app’s ranking. Staying informed about these changes is crucial for maintaining visibility. No-code app builders typically provide updates and resources to help users adapt to these changes, ensuring that your app remains optimized for the latest algorithm updates.

Conclusion

App Store Optimization is a critical component of your app’s success in the Play Store, and it’s more important than ever in 2024. By leveraging no-code app builders, you can simplify the ASO process, making it accessible even to those without technical expertise. From keyword research and visual asset creation to A/B testing and performance tracking, no-code platforms offer the tools you need to optimize your app’s Play Store listing effectively. Embrace these strategies to improve your app’s visibility, attract more users, and achieve sustained success in the competitive mobile app market.

[naradivision]

Miraitabi's Summer Notification

// Ya~ho everyone!

// Check the mic, check the mic

// Guess who is now speaking ( ≧ᗜ≦) ⋆✧ ?

// Whoopsie~ Whoops

// Even if this cutie clione is sometimes using the similar type of texting like a certain Over-something group, she’d like to make it clear that we are not being operated by the same creator just so you know!

// And now it’s time to get into the topic, ahem

// Will this be a dejavu to say time flies so fast that this summer has come close to an end within a blink of our eyes ~?

// So, so, so

// It would also be such a deep regret if we all just let this wonderful season pass by for nothing

ange.runModel();

// …Really, ANGE doesn’t have to do this algorithm coding all the time but welllll

ange.addTheme(“Tropical”);

// Special thanks to the original creator ;)

// Model by neka

// Art by @kurokun_0718

“MochiMochi～ Ohayou minna-san☆ Looks like we’ve met here all again!”

“Test, test, test. I— mmm, ANGE! Believes that this isn’t the first time you’ve seen her, correct?!”

“Welcome to Miraitabi’s Summer notification everyone! And more importantly~ Today Tropical ANGE is more than delight to announce about her human and our latest project 🌊”

“—So far as the vast blue sky has stretched out, a boundless canvas of summer blue was prepared to be painted with the new promising journey… 

The scent of salt hung in the air as that clear blue deepened when the sun went higher and higher, carried inland by the gentle breeze that rustled with the coherent echo of cicadas, brushing the tips of golden sunflowers that brightened all over the landscape. It was such a day that felt like the start of something— Something more than just another summer… It was the kind of day that held secrets in its warmth, whispering of adventures yet to unfold.

...Each summer, the rhythmic pulse in the sea is a reminder of endless possibilities.

—And those above are what ANGE has generated via A.I. in according to our summer plan, tee-hee☆ It is surprisingly depictive, isn’t it? Just looks at how creative programs these days are— But oh whoops☆ ANGE is kinda forgetting she is an A.I. too ;P”

“Anyway, let’s get a brief look through ANGE and human’s proud teaser from our inspiring trip ✧˖° This time human was attempting to mix the music with the Vlog style! He was still too critical with his work like usual, but hmph, can you see that summer was such a really fascinating season? There are so many fun and wondrous things waiting for us if only we’re willing to step outside… So, instead of just being some archive borrowing the theme of this season as its title; it’s a dare that ANGE, human, and his gang are going to make you enjoy this season together with our own versions of Summer Mixtape!!

…And lastly ～ Are y’all ready?”

🌻 Someday In That This Summer (On Tour With ANGE!) 🌊

Real Title: Someday In That Summer (2023 ver) Covered by: ねんね (Nenne) Original by: *Luna ft. Hatsune Miku / Otomachi Una & Rana

From the hues of sunrise toward those lights when the night falls… Have you ever wonder what color the summer is?

Pack your belongings and get ready

—We’re going on a trip 🫵

…Soon at the end of this summer…

[cj-6]

Xdinary lore

Meaning of all the album titles in order, excluding 'Happy death day' (as it is a single release and it is not relevant for the upcoming interpretation). Also includes the title of the new comeback (!), which I knew of because I had been theorizing about it (the theory is in Music videos #2).

''Hello, world!''

If you have done any programming class or basics before, you will know as much as I do that this sentence is the first thing that you learn about. When you have worked with Python like I have, this is done by using a 'print()' statement, which I added a picture of below for anyone curious.

In terms of meaning we can say that this album is their first greeting to the world, and I believe especially to the VR world which we know as ♭form.

Overload

Overload can refer to multiple things, though it is meant for us to consider all titles in relation to computer programming and anything IT related.

And so overload refers to a situation where a system is subjected to more demand or load than it can handle effectively. Overload can lead to performance degradation, slowdowns, or even system crashes if the resources are not properly managed or scaled.

So what we can take away from this is that overload is when a computer system can't handle the amount of info it is given.

Deadlock

As said in the overload information it is quite crucial to keep on the programmer glasses from here. I did not consider this before until I started diving in to all the lore, but trust me it makes far more sense to do so. For the reason that deadlock can refer to the following:

An occurrence when two or more processes are unable to proceed because each is waiting for the other to release a resource. This results in a situation where none of the processes can continue, effectively halting the entire system. Deadlocks are often a result of poor resource management or synchronization in concurrent systems.

Aka a computer system that comes to a halt because two processes are not properly coordinated.

Livelock

Livelock is a situation where multiple processes continuously change their states in response to each other's actions, but none make progress. This can be thought of as a more active form of deadlock, where processes are not stuck waiting for resources but are instead caught in a loop (remember this!) of resource contention. Livelocks can occur when systems use overly aggressive algorithms for resource management or when there's excessive contention for shared resources.

Simply put a version of deadlock that has not quite stopped but stuck in a loop instead.

Troubleshooting

I actually started writing this part before it was officially announced on the 12th, so yeah that's cool.

Troubleshooting involves identifying, diagnosing, and resolving problems or issues within a computer system. It's a systematic approach used to isolate the root cause of a malfunction or unexpected behavior and then implement a solution to resolve it. Troubleshooting can involve various techniques such as analyzing logs, debugging code, monitoring system performance, and testing different configurations.

Or basically trying to find mistakes (such as the causes of overload, deadlock, and livelock) within our computer system.

In summary, these terms are all related to different types of issues or challenges that can occur in computer systems, and troubleshooting is the process used to address and resolve them. Sounds coherent right?

General theme/story << Album titles >> Music videos #1

[nx42]

Glaze & Nightshade Tests

Please view this example image at its full resolution here! Put simply, Glaze is a filter put over art meant to disrupt AI art algorithms and Nightshade is a step on top of that to "poison" AI art to trick it into giving undesired results when generated. A lot of the art used by Glaze/Nightshade in examples are photorealistic or painterly rendered art (because that's what a lot of AI art datasets are full of and what a lot of AI art directors wish to generate). A lot of us don't draw like that though! So, it felt important to personally test how well these work with my very flat and cartoonish art style. I chose three images that express the general variety of my personal art style. The examples shown should be pretty self explanatory. The paper texture version was used in the theory that the added noise would help the distortion of Glaze and Nightshade better blend in with the art. I really want to know what you all think. Artists protecting themselves from The Art Theft Machine is important, but are these visual artifacts acceptable? Does it ruin the experience of browsing art if more and more of it started looking like this? There has always been a balance between an artist protecting their work and providing a good viewer experience. Before things like this, we had watermarks of various intrusiveness. I personally don't actually find most of this acceptable. A low level Glaze is okay enough and a paper texture helps a little, but it's certainly unattractive. Again, I want to know the opinion of y'all. For ALL tested examples of different intensities and combinations including a digital noise version, please see my folder on Google Drive. Art featured includes work for janusw, masterdert, and drakky

Posted using PostyBirb

[synths-and-sensibility]

(Python isn't my native language, so please pardon my code)

It's not a very usable version of the algorithm, but the goal tonight was to generate a sound, so mission accomplished!